An armed intruder reportedly stole Rs 50,000 from a pub in western Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday, leading to a full-scale police operation, including drone surveillance and a bomb squad inspection.
The incident occurred at Geometry Brewery and Kitchen around 3.35 am, when a security guard named Vikas noticed suspicious activity inside the closed premises. Upon seeing someone had broken the door lock and entered the building, Vikas immediately informed his supervisor, Vinay Kumar, who arrived at the spot with office attendant Shyam.
The suspect, allegedly armed with a small weapon, threatened the staff before locking the pub doors and disabling CCTV cameras. The extent of the theft was initially unclear but later confirmed to be approximately Rs 50,000.
According to Vinay’s complaint, the intruder had cut the main power supply, turning off the lights and disabling the CCTV system. Using their mobile phone flashlights, Vinay and Shyam searched the premises and spotted a man near the pub owner’s office on the third floor. As they approached, the intruder allegedly brandished what appeared to be a gun and demanded to know where the money was kept, TOI reported.
Fearing for their lives, Vinay showed the man a drawer inside the office. The suspect broke it open and took Rs 50,000 in cash. He then threatened the staff again before entering another room. Vinay and Shyam fled the building and alerted the police by calling 112 around 4 am.
Given the mention of a weapon and the ongoing high alert in the city due to Indo-Pak tensions, the police responded immediately. The officials from Subramanyanagar police station and neighbouring units cordoned off the area. A Quick Reaction Team (QRT) with 15 armed personnel was deployed. Drones, bomb detection squads, and commandos were also called in.
However, after nearly six hours of extensive search, the suspect could not be located. CCTV footage from nearby buildings later showed that the intruder escaped by jumping out of a first-floor window.
"We verified CCTV footage from the surrounding buildings and found that the miscreant jumped from the first floor of the building through a sliding window. A case has been registered under BNS for robbery and house-trespass or housebreaking. We are investigating from all angles. But, we are sure it has nothing to do with the conflict situation; it is an incident of theft which became robbery as he threatened the pub staff," TOI quoted a senior police official as saying.
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