Technician and autorickshaw driver steal 48 laptops from Bengaluru paying guest facilities

The police identified the accused as Gautam (right), 30, a laptop service technician, and Rajadorai, 33, an autorickshaw driver, who has two prior cases registered against him in Tamil Nadu. (Express Photo)

The police in Bengaluru said on Tuesday that they arrested two men from Tamil Nadu for allegedly stealing laptops from paying guest (PG) facilities across the city and recovered 48 laptops collectively valued at around Rs 40 lakh. The police identified the accused as Gautam, 30, a laptop service technician, and Rajadorai, 33, an autorickshaw driver, who has two prior cases registered against him in Tamil Nadu.

The case came to light when a complaint was filed on December 1, 2025, by a resident of a PG facility located within the limits of the Electronic City police station. He stated that unknown people had entered his room through an open door and stolen three laptops belonging to him and his friends between the night of November 28 and the morning of November 29.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case and launched an investigation. Officers said they examined the crime scene, verified CCTV footage in the surrounding areas, and gathered inputs from informants to track the suspects.

On December 11, the police took Rajadorai into custody from Tamil Nadu. They said he had confessed to committing the theft reported in Electronic City and disclosed his involvement in multiple laptop thefts from PG facilities in different parts of Bengaluru. Further interrogation led the police to Gautam, who they said was involved in disposing of the stolen laptops.

According to the police, Rajadorai would hand over the stolen devices to Gautam, who would reformat and refurbish them before selling them. The police said several of the stolen laptops had already been sold in this manner and that efforts were underway to trace and recover those devices as well.

The accused were produced before a court and remanded in police custody.

The police said the investigation revealed that the accused specifically targeted PG facilities, taking advantage of unlocked rooms and minimal security. They are also ascertaining whether similar thefts reported in the city are linked to the arrested accused.