Bengaluru: A birthday celebration at a house in Margondanahalli, east Bengaluru, turned into a nightmare after a gang of seven armed men barged in and robbed a group of friends of cash, gold ornaments and other valuables.Sathish Kumar, 34, who stays on the ground floor of a multi-storey building on III Cross, La Mansion Layout, Margondanahalli, said the incident occurred between 7pm and 11.30pm on Jan 1.
Sathish, a cab driver, hosted the birthday celebration of his friend Venkatesh at his flat. A group of friends — Venkatesh, Madhu, Pavan, Manoj, Raghavendra, Ravi, Manjunath and Anantha — gathered at Sathish’s house for the party.While the celebration was under way, Manoj and Raghavendra went to a nearby hotel to fetch food. Shortly after they left, there was a knock on the door. When Sathish opened it, the gang of seven, armed with machetes and sticks, forced their way inside and threatened the inmates not to raise an alarm. The assailants abused the victims and issued dire threats.The gang snatched the mobile phones of those present and demanded cash and valuables. When the victims hesitated, they brandished weapons, and out of fear, the friends handed over cash.The attackers then demanded passwords of the victims’ mobile phones and PINs of their UPI accounts. Ravi initially entered an incorrect PIN, claiming he forgot the number. Enraged, the gang assaulted him using the blunt side of a machete and forced him to reveal the correct PIN. Following this, the others were coerced into revealing their digital payment PINs.Using these details, the miscreants transferred Rs 79,000 — the balance available in Pavan’s account — through digital payment applications.Meanwhile, Manoj and Raghavendra returned with the food and knocked on the door. The miscreants opened the door, confronted them and seized their mobile phones as well. The gang then searched the house and allegedly made away with a 30-gram gold bracelet and a wristwatch from a cupboard.The assailants left the house around 11.50pm, placing the victims’ mobile phones outside the door and latching it from outside. The friends later sought the help of neighbours to open the door latch. A case was registered under BNS Sections 118 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 310 (dacoity) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), a police officer said.
