Gangs targeting construction sites

Gangs targeting construction sites

In the past one year, gangs have struck at over half-a-dozen construction sites and made away with huge quantities of steel and cement bags

The Hindu

WITH THE city and its outskirts witnessing unprecedented construction activity, incidents of armed gangs attacking labourers at construction sites and looting construction material has increased of late.

In the past one year, gangs have struck at over half-a-dozen construction sites in and around the city and made away with huge quantities of steel and cement bags. In all the cases the robbers had come in lorries and were armed with clubs and choppers. The incidents occurred between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

The most sensational of such incidents was reported on January 11 from Nelamangala police station limits. About 20 people, who came in a lorry, attacked the labourers at a school construction site at Ravuthahalli Cross on National Highway-4 and looted 25 tonnes of steel estimated at Rs. 8 lakh.

The gang struck at the same site again on March 23. When about 20 armed men tried to attack the security guard Subbaiah with clubs, he opened fire at them with his single-barrel rifle, scaring away the robbers.

In a similar incident, around 25 people, who came in a lorry, made away with 50 bags of cement and steel from a construction site in Bommanahalli industrial area a few months ago.

The robbers attacked 12 labourers who were sleeping at the construction site in Hebbugodi police station limits before looting cement bags and four tonnes of steel.

A few days ago, the staff of the Hoysala patrol squad-44 foiled an attempt by a few persons, who had come in a lorry, to steal steel rods from near a business establishment at Byarathi village in Hennur police station.

A few persons had loaded into the lorry 4.5 tonnes of steel lying in front of a shop near a construction site. On seeing the Hoysala patrol squad, they abandoned the lorry and ran away. Preliminary investigation revealed that the lorry was fitted with a fake number plate.

The police say that all such incidents have taken place at isolated places on the outskirts of the city where the patrolling is not intense. Most of the construction activity is on the outskirts of the city. Though huge quantities of construction material are kept at the sites, the owners do not take steps to protect them, the police say.

The police are also of the view that the rising prices of steel and cement have made the robbers strike at the construction sites. They suspect that the same gang could be involved in all the cases. The police do not rule out a nexus between these gangs, suppliers and building contractors.

The police have so far not caught those involved in such crimes. According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) M.C. Narayana Gowda, the East Division police have recently secured two persons suspected to be part of a gang looting construction material.

Superintendent of Police, Bangalore Rural, K. Sreenivasa, in whose jurisdiction most of the incidents have occurred, says they have achieved a breakthrough in these cases. He hopes that the suspects would be caught soon.