Habitual offender held for robbing jewellery from house in Bengaluru's JP Nagar

A man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly forcing his way into a house in JP Nagar and stealing jewellery from two girls.

Police seized three gold chains, some jewellery and a two-wheeler worth Rs 2.3 lakh from Mohammad Dastagir, who was convicted of attempted murder in 2015 and was jailed in the Parappana Agrahara prison in Belagavi for seven years.

A police officer said Dastagir is a habitual offender who has cases against him in Jayanagar, Cubbon Park and Kumaraswamy Layout. “In 2012, he was shot in the left leg by KS Layout police during his bid to escape. He was released from jail on June 28, and within a day, he committed two more crimes,” the officer said.

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Just days after his release from jail, Dastagir barged into a house on the third floor of a building in JP Nagar where two girls lived and robbed their jewellery after assaulting them. The same day, brandishing a knife, he robbed a chain from a girl walking on Jayanagar’s Marenahalli main road.

A senior police officer said that Dastagir is addicted to sedatives and has been committing crimes while under the influence of sedative tablets. “We asked his family residing in Sarabande Palya to visit him in the station multiple times, but they refused and said they had disowned him long ago.”

He has cases against him in various stations — three cases under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder), six under Section 392 (punishment for robbery), and Section 397 (punishment for dacoity).

Two fresh cases have also been registered against Dastagir after his release — one in Jayanagar and another in JP Nagar police stations.