Bengaluru’s Indiranagar police have cracked the high-profile burglary at the residence of former Indian hockey captain and 1980 Olympic gold medallist MM Somaya. Two habitual offenders have been arrested and the stolen medals, including the Olympic gold, have been fully recovered.Former Indian hockey captain MM Somaya’s house in Indiranagar was burgled while his family was away in their native Kodagu.
According to the complaint, Somaya and his family left Bengaluru on October 25th. When they returned on October 28th, they found the main door broken open and valuables missing from the cupboards.Following his complaint, the Indiranagar police registered a case of house-break theft. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh formed eight special teams under the leadership of DCP East Division, Vikram Amate, to track down the accused.
Using technical surveillance and local intelligence, the teams traced the accused to Ramanagara and arrested them. The arrested have been identified as Manikya alias Mani, 31 years old, a resident of Nandini Layout and Parappana Agrahara, and Bharat alias Darli, 25 to 29 years old, a resident of Banashankari and Bannerghatta.
Police said both are habitual offenders. Manikya alone has 33 cases registered against him – 25 in Karnataka and 8 in Tamil Nadu – mostly theft cases. He had been declared a proclaimed offender on three occasions by courts, with non-bailable warrants issued for repeatedly failing to appear. He had been released from prison just three months ago.Bharat has two criminal cases against him, including one theft and one murder case, according to police.
Police recovered all the stolen property. This includes eight international medals, gold and silver articles, a traditional Kodagu sword known as ‘katti’, an Olympic kit bag, a camera, and the two-wheeler used to commit the crime.
The medals recovered are of immense sentimental and national value. They include the gold medal won at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the silver medal from the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games, the bronze medal from the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, and the bronze medal from the 1982 Amsterdam Champions Trophy, along with other international honours.
Apart from medals, the accused stole personal jewellery and household silver. The list includes two silver cups weighing 72 grams each, a 10-gram gold bangle, five silver spoons weighing 200 grams, a silver vessel weighing 80 grams, an 8-gram gold coin, and Rs 30,000 in cash.In his complaint, Somaya had estimated the total value of stolen items at approximately Rs 3.53 lakh. However, the emotional value of the medals was irreplaceable.
Investigation revealed that after the theft, the accused sold one gold medal and one silver medal at a private gold company in Rajajinagar. The remaining six medals were kept with them, which have now been recovered by the police.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the case was challenging because the accused were professional burglars targeting locked houses. He announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for the investigation teams that solved the case in a short time.Police said they are verifying if the duo is involved in other recent locked-house thefts in Bengaluru and surrounding districts, and a search is on for any other associates.
Reacting to the recovery, an elated MM Somaya told Media, “I am delighted to get my Olympic medal back and thankful to the Bengaluru Police. I laud their investigative ability.”Somaya, a native of Kodagu, led India in the 1980s and is one of Karnataka’s most celebrated sports icons. The theft of his Olympic medal had triggered outrage among sports fans across the country.
