Residents of an apartment complex in east Bengaluru were left shocked after a thief allegedly stole 27 pairs of branded shoes worth more than Rs 1.3 lakh during a pre-dawn burglary.
The incident took place at Sri Dhama Apartment in NGEF Layout, Sadanandanagar, on the morning of June 17, with CCTV footage capturing the accused carrying away the stolen footwear in a gunny bag before fleeing in a car.
Theft affects multiple families
According to the police complaint, Sujeet Kumar TG (50), a marketing professional, discovered that seven pairs of his shoes, valued at around Rs 23,000, had gone missing from the shoe rack outside his flat.
As residents began checking their belongings, it emerged that several others had also fallen victim to the theft.
Police said 11 pairs of shoes worth Rs 65,000 belonging to resident P Balamurugan, five pairs worth Rs 20,000 owned by Mahesh Kumar Holkar, and four pairs valued at Rs 25,000 belonging to Ravindra MT were also stolen.
In total, 27 pairs of branded footwear worth more than Rs 1.3 lakh were reported missing from the apartment complex.
CCTV captures accused
Police examined CCTV footage, which showed the suspect moving around the apartment premises between 4.05 am and 4.20 am on June 17.
The accused was seen collecting the footwear from outside multiple flats, stuffing them into a gunny bag before escaping in a yellow-board registered car.
Investigators suspect the thief may have been assisted by an accomplice, believed to be a cab driver, who helped him flee the scene.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to identify and trace the accused using CCTV footage and vehicle details.