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During questioning, Kumar admitted to the theft, citing his monthly salary of Rs 30,000 as insufficient to maintain his lifestyle. (Representational image)
The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Sathish Kumar, was caught after a two-sovereign gold ring disappeared from Saravana Elite stores in T Nagar during a routine inventory check on Tuesday
A bank employee in Chennai was arrested on Thursday for a string of thefts from jewellery stores across the city, allegedly to support his lavish lifestyle and purchase expensive gifts for his girlfriend.
The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Sathish Kumar, was caught after a two-sovereign gold ring disappeared from Saravana Elite stores in T Nagar during a routine inventory check on Tuesday evening, triggering an investigation by the Mambalam police.
Surveillance footage uncovered a customer making off with the ring, prompting a formal complaint. Kumar, an MCA graduate employed at a local bank, then attempted another theft at a different branch of Saravana Elite stores on Usman Road. However, this time the store staff apprehended him and handed him over to the police.
During questioning, Kumar admitted to the theft, citing his monthly salary of Rs 30,000 as insufficient to maintain his lifestyle. He confessed to indulging in extravagant dinners and frequent expensive gifts for his partner, as per The Times of India report.
He also revealed how he carried out the thefts in different places like Chromepet, Pallavaram, and T Nagar, taking advantage of busy business hours to escape without being noticed. Additionally, Kumar confessed to using loans from mobile apps to handle his finances, but he didn’t repay them.
“He usually entered the shops when they were crowded, in the morning or evening hours. He would ask the staff to take out the jewellery and take his phone out under the pretext of clicking pictures. He used to slip away with the valuable when the staff were not attentive,” a police officer told the publication.
Following legal proceedings, Kumar was presented before a magistrate and remanded into judicial custody.