Bengaluru: A spate of robberies targeting jewelery shops in Nelamangala and Madanayakanahalli has raised concern among residents, traders and business owners.
Many are questioning the effectiveness of existing security measures in fast-growing cities.
In T Begur village, Nelamangala, three armed men recently attacked Mahalakshmi Jewelers and Bankers, threatened the owner and staff with a knife, assaulted an employee and fled with gold jewelery worth Rs 5 lakh. The employee was attacked while chasing the suspects.
The broad daylight robbery has brought into focus the growing vulnerability of jewelery establishments along major roads and highway corridors on the outskirts of the city.
Local traders said such incidents are no longer isolated and have become a recurring concern in parts of Nelamangala, Madanayakanahalli and adjoining areas.
“Jewellery shops, pawnbrokers and financial institutions have increasingly emerged as attractive targets for criminals due to the availability of valuables and relatively easy escape routes,” said a senior officer from Nelamangala Rural police station.
The officer said many robberies in suburban Bengaluru involve migrant gangs, who choose such locations because they offer quick access to highways, making it easier to flee after committing the crime.
Suspects often plan robberies days in advance and conduct reconnaissance before they strike. Gangs are aware that police patrols are relatively rare in some localities and that insufficient CCTV coverage gives them room to operate continuously. After committing the crime, they allegedly use highways to reach railway stations or other transit points and leave the city before police teams track them down.
The officer stressed the need for increased surveillance, better street lighting and more CCTV cameras in vulnerable areas to prevent such crimes.
Residents said many malls in the suburbs are located near national and state highways. In several recent cases, robbers reportedly used motorcycles, covered their identities with helmets and masks, and carried out carefully planned robberies within minutes.
Business owners claimed that despite installing CCTV cameras and private security arrangements, robbers continue to exploit loopholes in surveillance.
“Every robbery creates fear among traders and employees. Jewelery shop owners invest heavily in security systems, but offenders seem to have studied locations and escape routes in advance and in some cases, they even escape with DVRs linked to CCTV cameras,” said a member of a local trade association.
Following the latest incident, traders have renewed their demand for increased police patrolling in vulnerable areas, especially along highways and shopping malls. They have also called for the installation of additional surveillance cameras at strategic intersections and improved vehicle controls to prevent crime.
A senior officer from Bengaluru rural district said that efforts are on to trace the suspects and that the local police would be instructed to increase patrolling around the area during working hours.
Previous incidents
On January 27, three bike-borne men entered a jewelery shop at Dasanapura in Madanayakanahalli police station limits and decamped with 30 grams of gold jewelery and Rs 50,000 in cash after threatening the staff with guns. Police arrested five men from Rajasthan two weeks later and recovered a pistol and valuables worth Rs 2.5 lakh.
In July 2025, three masked men absconded with 150 grams of gold jewelery from Sri Ram Jewelers at Machohalli in Madanayakanahalli. CCTV footage showed the miscreants threatening the owner with a gun and they were gone in just 18 seconds.
