By Barnabas Karunagari | January 12, 2026
Bengaluru, Karnataka, INDIA: In an unusual criminal partnership, a mechanic and a former software professional from Tamil Nadu teamed up to steal laptops from Bengaluru and resell them after erasing all digital traces. The racket was busted by Bengaluru city police, who recovered 48 stolen laptops worth around ₹40 lakh and arrested the two accused, now lodged in judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison.
The accused have been identified as M Raja Dorai (33), a mechanic, and D Gautam (30), a diploma holder in computer science. Both are residents of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
How the Case Came to Light
The case surfaced last month after an employee of a private firm in Doddatoguru near Electronics City reported his laptop missing from the office. CCTV footage revealed a man casually walking out through a half-open main door with the device, raising suspicions.
Police tracked the suspect through multiple CCTV cameras, which showed him travelling to a hotel in Hosur before boarding a bus to Kanchipuram. A police team subsequently detained Raja Dorai in Tamil Nadu. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to the theft.
Modus Operandi
According to investigators, Dorai would steal laptops from offices and paying guest (PG) accommodations in Bengaluru—often targeting rooms left unlocked—and hand them over to Gautam. Gautam would then reformat, refurbish and erase digital data from the devices before selling them in open markets across Chennai and Puducherry.
Police said the duo deliberately targeted PG facilities and offices due to relatively low security and easy access.
Challenging Arrest of the Second Accused
Arresting Gautam proved difficult. Police said he frequently changed locations to evade arrest, and a close relative who is a local politician allegedly attempted to obstruct the investigation by pressuring local police. Undeterred, a Bengaluru police team camped in Kanchipuram for nearly three weeks, posing as travellers and discreetly visiting shops before finally locating and arresting him.
Background of the Accused
Police revealed that Gautam had previously worked as a data analyst with a private firm in Dubai until 2022. He returned to India to care for his widowed mother, a government schoolteacher, and later opened a laptop servicing shop in Kanchipuram.
Dorai, a Class III school dropout, reportedly befriended Gautam while getting his two-wheeler repaired. That acquaintance eventually evolved into a criminal partnership driven by the lure of quick money, police said. Dorai also has two prior criminal cases registered against him in Tamil Nadu.
Ongoing Investigation
Both accused were produced before a court and remanded to custody. Police are now probing whether the duo is linked to other unsolved laptop theft cases reported across Bengaluru and are working to trace and recover laptops that have already been sold.
Authorities have urged residents, especially those living in PG accommodations, to remain vigilant and ensure doors are locked to prevent such thefts.
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