Pramesh S Jain
The Magadi road police have arrested a 27-year-old former software engineer who is involved in series of house break thefts and chain snatching case to arrange money for online betting .
The accused KA Murthy,resident of Hongasandra in Begur,is a BE graduate from Shivamogga and addicted to gambling.
Due to this he had incurred huge loans and his father had to sell their ancestral house to repay the loan. Unable to bear the humiliation,the family shifted to Bengaluru and Murthy joined an IT firm to work as techie,a senior officer,said .
However the addiction of online gambling continued and Murthy spent his salary on it and stoop to stealing valuables from the houses to arrange the money .
The accused would move around the residential areas to identify the locked houses and search for the keys which were kept under the usual places such as door mat, window sill and flower pots.He would gain entry into those houses steal valuables and keep the key back and escape.
He has four house break thefts registered against him including in Konanakunte,Avalahalli,Sudduguntepalya , Magadi road and arrested in earlier cases .
The accused was arrested again after he had visited Angala Parameshwari temple on Binny mill road and stole the gold chain from a home maker who was waiting in a que to visit the temple .
Based on the complaint,the police identified the accused through CCTV footage and arrested him.
The police have recovered 245.5 grams of gold valuables worth Rs.16.7 lakh which the accused had pawned in jewellery shop in Madiwala,Parappana Agrahara,Bommasandra and Electronic city .
The accused has been booked under theft and remanded to judicial custody.
