Police arrest two for stealing Olympic medal from hockey legend MM Somaya’s Bengaluru home
Mangalore Today News Network
Bengaluru, Nov 11, 2026: Two people have been arrested for allegedly breaking into the house of Indian hockey legend MM Somaya in Bengaluru and stealing his Olympic medal, other sporting medals and valuables worth around Rs 3.5 lakh, police said.
The burglary took place on October 28 at the residence of Somaya, 67, in HAL 3rd Stage, while he and his family were away in Kodagu.
The theft came to light around 7.15 am when a neighbour, Narayanan, noticed that the front door of the house was open and alerted Somaya. CCTV footage from a neighbouring house showed two unidentified men breaking open the door and entering the residence at around 2.34 am. One of them was wearing a blue shirt, while the other was dressed in red.
The stolen items included a gold medal won at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, a silver medal from the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, a bronze medal from the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul and another bronze medal from the 1982 Champions Trophy.
The burglars also took valuables worth approximately Rs 3.5 lakh, including a 10-gram gold bangle, an 8-gram gold coin, two silver cups weighing 144 grams, six silver spoons, an 80-gram silver pot and Rs 30,000 in cash.
The Indiranagar police registered a case under Sections 331(4) (house-trespass or house-breaking) and 305 (theft in a dwelling house) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
On November 9, police arrested two suspects near Hagalahalli Cross in Ramanagara and seized the two-wheeler allegedly used in the crime.
The accused have been identified as Manikya alias Manikanta, 31, a labourer from Ittamadu, and Bharath alias Darli, 25, a resident of Banashankari.
According to police, Manikya has 25 criminal cases registered against him in Karnataka and three in Tamil Nadu. He also has three proclamation orders and six non-bailable warrants pending against him. Bharath is allegedly involved in a murder case and a theft case.
During interrogation, the duo reportedly confessed to committing the burglary along with another accomplice. They were taken into police custody for eight days on November 10.
Police said the accused revealed that they had sold one gold medal and one silver medal to a gold company in Rajajinagar, while the remaining medals had been kept at the residence of one of the accused near H Cross in Hoskote.
Investigators found that the accused had prior knowledge that the house would remain locked and had deliberately targeted it.
On November 10, police recovered one gold medal and one silver medal from the gold company in Rajajinagar. Six other medals, a Kodava sword, an Olympic bag and a camera were recovered from the house in Hoskote.
Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the third accused, who is absconding, police said.