Migrant Workers Robbed at Knifepoint in Bengaluru Electronics City

Four migrant workers from West Bengal were targeted in a violent robbery near Bettadasanapura, located in Bengaluru's Electronics City, this past Sunday evening. The victims, identified as 20-year-old Sabir Shaik and his companions Yunus, 25, Irfan Shaik, 19, and Owaidur Islam Laskar, 18, were intercepted by unidentified assailants while working in the area. The suspects used knives to threaten the workers, demanding their belongings and forcing the victims to surrender cash, mobile phones, and SIM cards. The group has been working in Bengaluru for eight months prior to this event.

Beyond the physical looting of Rs 10,000 in cash and four mobile phones, the attackers specifically targeted the digital assets of the victims. The robbers compelled the primary complainant, Sabir Shaik, to unlock his PhonePe mobile wallet, subsequently transferring Rs 488 to an external account under their control. The assailants accompanied their actions with verbal threats of severe consequences, including death or physical injury, should the victims attempt to contact law enforcement or report the crime to local authorities.

Following the encounter, the workers reported the incident to their employer, who assisted them in filing a formal complaint with the Electronics City police station on June 29. Authorities have registered an FIR under sections related to robbery and dacoity involving the intent to cause grievous hurt or death. Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, leveraging forensic evidence and details provided by the victims to identify the perpetrators. The investigation is currently ongoing as law enforcement reviews surveillance footage from the surrounding Electronics City vicinity to track the movement of the accused.