Spurt in robberies targeting retail vegetable vendors in and around Kalasipalya in Bengaluru, most go unreported

Vegetable vendors, who commute every day to the Kalasipalya vegetable market between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., have recently become soft targets for gangs of robbers.

Babu C. B., a vegetable vendor in Yeshwantpur, was on his usual trip to Kalasipalya vegetable market on early on September 5 morning, as is his usual practice, when he was robbed by a gang of youths brandishing lethal weapons. “I slowed down my auto as they approached, thinking that they were looking for an address. But two bikes came on either side of my auto. The gangsters threatened me with lethal weapons. I was forced to hand over ₹10,000 that I was carrying,” he said. He lodged a complaint with S. J. Park police, who cited jurisdictional issues and did not act on his complaint, Mr. Babu alleged. 

He is not alone.

Manjunath, who supplies mushroom to retail shops, was robbed of ₹4,500 three weeks ago. “Two young boys, wearing monkey caps and wielding lethal weapons, waylaid my bike while I was heading to Majestic from Kalasipalya market. They started beating me up till I gave up whatever I had,” he said. But he did not report the incident to the police. “I was in a hurry to deliver mushrooms, and did not report the armed robbery to the police,” he said. 

Vegetable vendors, who commute every day to the Kalasipalya vegetable market between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., have recently become soft targets for gangs of robbers.

“We go to buy vegetables every morning when the area is deserted. They know that we will be carrying money,” said Shivakumar, who is employed in the procurement department of a leading chain of grocery stores. He said the number of robberies targeting vegetable vendors in K.R. Market, Kalasipalya and S.J. Park had shot up in recent months. Many had gone unreported, he claimed. 

Venkatesh, a vegetable vendor, said, “A few years ago, there was a similar spurt in robberies targeting us in Kalasipalya. This came down once the local police installed CCTV cameras and intensified patrolling during early morning hours. But, there is again a spurt in robberies.” He claimed that many cases had gone unreported, as most of the robberies reported to the police remain unsolved. “At least three robberies of vendors were reported in the last one week,” he claimed, adding the need of the hour is intensifying police patrolling in the area during early morning hours. 

N. Satheesh Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (West), Bengaluru appealed to vegetable vendors to report all robberies, and even attempts to rob them. “This will help us reorient our patrolling system, and nip such trends in the bud,” he said.