Clothes off, Mask on: Bengaluru man drills 2-ft-wide hole on store wall, flees with costly phones | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: Armed with nothing more than a desire to shower gifts on his girlfriend, a 27-year-old man from Assam entered a mobile store, cherrypicked costly phones in a quick operation post midnight and disappeared the way he came in: In the buff, wearing only a mask to partially cover his face.He had shed his clothes and walked stark naked into the store in Hongasandra, south Bengaluru, through a two-foot hole in the wall because of a bizarre reason: He didn’t want to spoil his new dress while squeezing in.When Hanuman Telecom in Hongasandra was burgled on the night of May 9, police first suspected the involvement of an organised criminal gang. However, CCTV footage showed a figure moving inside the store with remarkable precision, picking phones worth over Rs 15,000 and ignoring cheaper models. What baffled them, though, wasn’t the thief’s selectivity—it was his complete nakedness.The man, later identified as 27-year-old Imranullah from Assam, had drilled a two-foot-wide hole on the wall and gained entry into the shop. His explanation, when caught, was both bizarre and sincere: he had just bought new clothes and didn’t want to ruin them by squeezing through the narrow hole.The theft took place between 1.30am and 3am when shop owner Dinesh, a native of Rajasthan, was away due to a family emergency. At 4pm the next day, Dinesh checked his store’s CCTV feed remotely and saw the break-in. He immediately alerted his friend Vasanaram who works at a mobile shop nearby on Hosa Road.“I rushed to the shop and saw the hole drilled into the left wall. I informed the police immediately and filed a complaint,” said Vasanaram. When police and Vasanaram entered the shop, they found several high-value mobile phones missing from the display case.The footage clearly showed two men—one acting as lookout while the other, naked and masked, crawled through the wall and moved with purpose. He carried a bag and carefully selected the costlier phones, avoiding those of lesser value. He kept the lights off, and used the torch on his mobile for his operation.Police arrested Imranullah the next day. Investigators said he had entered the shop with only a face mask and a bag. “He claimed he needed money to spend on his girlfriend. His plan was to sell the phones in the black market,” a senior officer said.The shop’s surveillance system provided clear footage of his actions. Forensic teams collected additional evidence at the scene. Police are now investigating the accomplice who remained outside during the burglary.While the method was crude, the execution showed planning. “The hole was just big enough for someone with his build. He knew the store layout and the camera angles. He was focused only on the phones of higher value,” said the officer.Dinesh, back in Bengaluru, credited the swift action of police. “I was away for just one night, and it happened. Thankfully, the stolen items have been recovered,” he said.Police have registered a case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 331 (Punishment for house-trespass or housebreaking) and 305 (Theft in a dwelling house, or means of transportation or place of worship, etc). Imranullah remains in custody, while investigators continue their search for the second accused.
