BENGALURU: In a significant breakthrough, the Indiranagar police have arrested two burglars in connection with the burglary at the house of hockey legend MM Somaya, involving the theft of valuable articles, including gold, silver and bronze medals won at international sporting events.The police have recovered eight international medals, along with a camera, a Kodagu-style sword and an Olympic bag, and seized the two-wheeler used to commit the crime.Efforts are underway to trace a third accused who remains absconding.The arrested have been identified as Manikya alias Manikanta, 31, and Bharat, 25, both habitual offenders.According to the complaint, Somaya, a resident of New Thippasandra, had left for their hometown in Kodagu district with their family on October 25, 2026.On returning home on October 28, they were shocked to find that unknown miscreants had broken the lock on the front door, forcibly entered the house and decamped with several valuables.The stolen property included gold, silver and bronze medals won at international sporting events, other gold and silver articles, and cash.Taking the case seriously, the investigation was carried out under the guidance of deputy commissioner of police (east division) Vikram Amathe, who formed eight special teams to pursue different leads and examine various aspects of the crime.Police teams also gathered credible information through their network of informants.A major breakthrough came on November 9, when two suspects were apprehended near Hagalahalli Cross in Ramanagara.The two-wheeler used in the burglary was also seized. During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the crime and revealed that they had carried it out in collusion with another associate.On November 10, the two arrested accused were produced before the court and remanded to police custody for eight days for further investigation.The accused disclosed that they had sold one gold medal and one silver medal, among the stolen international medals, to a gold company in Rajajinagar.They also revealed that the remaining medals had been kept at the residence of one of the accused near H-Cross in Hoskote.The police conducted searches and made further recoveries on Tuesday. One gold medal and one silver medal were seized from a gold company in Rajajinagar.In another recovery operation, the police recovered six additional medals, one Kodagu-style sword, one camera and one ‘Olympic’ bag from the residence of an accused near H-Cross in Hoskote.With these recoveries, all eight international medals have been traced and seized by the police, marking a significant success in the investigation, said Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh.Meanwhile, the police are making efforts to track down the third individual involved in the burglary, who is currently absconding.Manikya is involved in 25 cases, eight of which are registered in Tamil Nadu and the remaining in Karnataka. Bharat is involved in a murder case and a burglary case.
