Batting away crime: Businessman foils robbery attempt in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: In a dramatic incident, a 38-year-old businessman fought off an armed intruder in his HSR Layout duplex, fending him off with a baseball bat for nearly 40 minutes before the intruder fled. The incident occurred between 11 pm on Wednesday and 2 am on Thursday at the residence of T Ajith Kumar Reddy, a resident of HSR Layout, 2nd Sector. The accused, later identified as Narasimhalu (50), also a resident of HSR Layout, was arrested on Saturday after the police tracked him down using a car key he accidentally dropped at the crime scene. According to Reddy, he was asleep in his first-floor bedroom when he was jolted awake by a masked man armed with a knife and rope. He was tall, heavily built, and had covered his face with a mask. He jumped on me and threatened to attack if I did not cooperate. He tried to tie me up with the rope he had brought, Reddy recalled. The accused, who was also carrying a screwdriver and a backpack, began to attack him. I pushed him away and ran through the house, but he chased me and blocked both the front and back exits. When I found a baseball bat, I fought back. At one point, I pulled down his mask and saw his face. Enraged, he began choking me. I had to use the bat again to save myself, Reddy told TNIE. After a long struggle, the intruder attempted to flee. In the process, he dropped his car keys, which Reddy later handed over to the police. The accused abandoned his vehicle a few metres from the house and escaped on foot. Police investigations revealed that Narasimhalu had been observing the complainants movements for days. CCTV footage showed that the accused jumped the compound wall around 11 pm and took nearly 90 minutes to break into the house by smashing a windowpane and unlocking the back door from inside. A case has been registered under BNS 331(6) for housebreaking by night after preparation for hurt, assault, or wrongful restraint. The accused has been remanded in judicial custody. The car used in the crime has been seized, a police officer said.