Bengaluru: 2 caught for theft try to end lives

Bengaluru: Two drunk robbers were caught red-handed by the locals, while one managed to flee the spot, when they were attempting to rob a biker near Ragihalli village in Bannerghatta on Wednesday. Villagers along with passersby thrashed the two robbers, before they were handed over to the police. The duo has been identified as Puneeth, 25, and Babloo alias Kumar, 26, residents of Begur in Electronics City.

According to the police, the three men had come on the bike and waylaid a biker, Abdul Ghani, a resident of Shivaji Nagar, who had gone to Bannerghatta for some work. The accused demanded that Abdul should part with all the cash he had and the mobile phone.

Passersby and locals initially thought they were quarrelling, but soon realised that the victim was being robbed. The three accused soon tried to flee and two were nabbed by the villagers. The crowd started swelling and the two accused were badly beaten up, before the police arrived.

They were drunk to such an extent that our men were unable to interrogate them, said a senior police officer.

However, it did not stop with that. While the two were at the Bannerghatta police station, they went to the bathroom and tried to end their lives by trying to drink the cleaning solution kept there. The bottle had only a small quantity of the solution and both tried to share it.

The cops then rushed the duo to a hospital behind the police station for treatment, where they were provided first-aid for the assault by the public. “They acted as if they had drunk the cleaning solution and pretended to be unconscious, so that their family members can come for their help arranging bail for them,” said a source from the police station.

Both Puneeth and Babloo were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody. The police had got some clues about the third absconding robber and launched a manhunt. Bannerghatta police have registered a case and begun investigation.