R B Jagadish / Yashodhar Bangera
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore/Karkala

Mangalore/Karkala, Jun 1: In a case of attempted theft reported in Moodbidri in the early hours of Sunday June 1, a businessman opened fire in the air and caught a miscreant who tried to break in and handed him over to the police.

It is said that at around 1.30 am on Sunday, miscreants tried to enter 'Ayesha Cottege', the residence of Bangalore-origin businessman Syed Shabbir. Hearing the creaking sound of the gate, Shabbir took out his licensed pistol and went out to investigate. Other people in the house too came out to see what was happening.

As they came out of the house, they saw one person trying to break in through the gate and three others standing beside him. When they switched on the light, the miscreants tried to flee and to stop them from escaping, Shabbir fired into the air. While the others managed to flee, Shabbir was able to catch one a little distance away from house. Shabbir reportedly pointed his gun at the man's temple and warned him against escaping. The miscreant was then handed over to Moodbidri police who came to the spot.

The miscreant who was caught was identified as Girish of Borkalgudde. During interrogation, it was learnt that he had come back from a foreign country a few months back, and on Saturday night, along with four others had gone to a bar in Moodbidri where they ate and drank so much that the bill came up to Rs 2,700. In a state of drunkenness, they planned to commit the theft at Shabbir's house, police sources said.

As Girish was drunk at the time of the incident, the police let him off the same night. However, on Sunday, Shabbir came to the police station and demanded his re-arrest, after which the police took caught Girish again and took him to Shabbir's house for identification of the crime spot.Further investigations are on.