 "Bengaluru police arrest man who used pigeons to rob 50 locked houses")
In an unusual incident, the City Market police in Bengaluru caught a man for allegedly committing around 50 robberies by locating locked houses with the help of pigeons. The accused, identified as Manjunath, alias Parivala Manja, was in possession of 475 grams of stolen gold worth Rs 30 lakh and a scooter, which the police have recovered.
According to a report by The Times of India, the 38-year-old accused used pigeons to locate locked houses. He would carry a pair of pigeons with himself while searching for a house, where the owners were away. His main targets would be multi-storeyed buildings without security guards.
To put his plan in motion, Manjunath would release pigeons, which would sit on the top of the buildings. Subsequently, he would climb the stairs, while searching for locked flats and apartments. If anyone questioned him, he would say that he was trying to catch the pigeon. In the process, if he came across a locked house, he would strike immediately.
"He broke the front doors using an iron rod, then broke the almirahs or cupboards with the same rod," a cop told the newspaper, explaining how Manjunath stole gold ornaments and cash. Notably, he has a history of arrests but continued to commit robberies every time he was released on bail.
The police said that he operated alone and disposed of the stolen valuables in Hosur, the city where he resided. Hosur is located in Tamil Nadu and is about 40 kilometres from Bengaluru. He typically carried out his robberies during the day. With his arrest, the police have solved four cases from the City Market and Ulsoor Gate police station areas.