Bengaluru police recover M.M. Somaya’s 1980 Moscow Olympic gold and seven other international medals; two held
Bengaluru’s Indiranagar police on November 9 arrested two men and recovered eight international sports medals, including the 1980 Moscow Olympic gold awarded to former hockey player M.M. Somaya, which had been stolen from his B.M. Kaval residence.
The items recovered comprised the 1980 Olympic gold medal, a silver from the 1982 Asian Games, a bronze from the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, a bronze from the 1982 Champions Trophy in Amsterdam, a gold from the Loiano tournament in Italy, participation medals from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and a silver linked to the 300th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh. Police also seized a traditional Kodava dagger, a camera and an Olympic kit bag. The theft occurred while Somaya and his family were away in their native Kodagu district; according to a complaint filed on October 28, the family had left Bengaluru on October 25 and, on return, found the front door lock broken and valuables, gold and silver articles and cash missing. The Indiranagar police registered a case and formed eight special teams to investigate the burglary.
Acting on intelligence inputs, officers arrested two suspects near Hagalahalli Cross in Ramanagara on November 9 and recovered the two-wheeler allegedly used in the offence. During interrogation the duo reportedly confessed to committing the theft with another associate. The arrested men were produced before a court on November 10 and taken into eight days of police custody.
The arrested have been identified as Manikya alias Manikanta, 31, a labourer, and Bharat, 25. Police records shown to reporters state Manikanta has 33 criminal cases registered against him, including 25 in Karnataka and eight in Tamil Nadu, along with three proclamation proceedings and six non-bailable warrants pending; Bharat is involved in two criminal cases. Efforts are under way to trace the third accused, who remains absconding.
Investigators said the suspects sold one gold medal and one silver medal to a gold-buying company in Rajajinagar and kept the remaining six medals and other stolen articles at the residence of one of the accused in Hoskote. Police recovered the two medals from the Rajajinagar establishment and the remaining six medals, the Kodava dagger, the camera and the Olympic kit bag from the Hoskote residence.
Police told reporters the theft appeared to be a random selection, with the accused breaking into the house without knowing the significance and value of the medals. Somaya expressed gratitude to the Bengaluru City Police and thanked City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh and the entire team for the recoveries, saying, "I am particularly thankful to the Indiranagar Police Inspector, who reassured me from day one that the valuables would be recovered. I feel like I have won the medals all over again." City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh announced a cash reward of ₹1 lakh for the police team for cracking the case.
The investigation is continuing to recover any remaining stolen property and to apprehend the absconding accused.