Hubballi Cops Fire Eight Rounds to Capture Wanted Burglars in Dramatic Showdown

Hubballi: The Hubballi Suburban Police successfully apprehended three out of four members of a notorious Uttar Pradesh-based gang involved in house burglaries during the early hours of Saturday.

The police fired eight rounds at the accused after they attempted to assault the officers in an open field near Devargudihal. While three of the accused were captured, one remains at large.

Providing details of the incident, Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar stated that on March 1, a house burglary was reported from a flat in an apartment under the jurisdiction of the Hubballi Suburban Police Station. The case was unique, as the offenders specifically targeted one flat among the 10-12 in the building and fled with Rs 20 lakh in cash.

Upon investigating, CCTV footage and vehicle tracking revealed that the same group was involved in similar burglaries in Dharwad Town, Vidyagiri, Vidyanagar, and Keshwapur within the Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissionerate limits.

The commissioner further explained that investigations indicated the suspects initially fled toward Maharashtra. Subsequent leads traced their movements to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. A police team was dispatched to those locations, and it was later discovered that the suspects had relocated to Shivamogga. The Hubballi team alerted the Shivamogga police and shared details of the suspects' vehicle and CCTV footage.

Meanwhile, on Friday night, a bike robbery was reported in Deshpande Nagar. The same gang waylaid a local resident, Maruti, robbing him of cash, a mobile phone, and his bike before fleeing.

Acting on intelligence, the police tracked the suspects to an open field near Devargudihal, where they were hiding in the bushes. A police team, led by Inspector M.S. Hugar and PSI Devendra, attempted to arrest them. One of the accused, who was in a car, attempted to escape by speeding toward the police team in an apparent attempt to run them over. Fortunately, the officers avoided injury, but the suspect managed to flee. However, the remaining three were found hiding behind the bushes.

When confronted, the accused attempted to resist arrest using a sword-like weapon and chili powder. In self-defense, the police fired at two of them, aiming at their knees, and successfully apprehended them. The third suspect was arrested shortly thereafter.

During the operation, three police personnel sustained minor injuries, the commissioner confirmed. He further identified the arrested suspects as Irshad Khureshi and Akbar Khureshi from Bulandshahr and Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, both part of a notorious burglary gang.

Explaining their modus operandi, the commissioner said the gang would steal bikes, conduct reconnaissance in upscale areas, and randomly carry out house burglaries. They typically traveled in high-end cars and stayed in hotels. If any members of the gang were arrested, they would destroy or abandon their vehicles to erase evidence. In this case, it is suspected that the fourth accused set fire to the getaway car, as reports emerged of a burning vehicle on Saturday morning.