Karnataka Government Employee Steals Gold, Cash From State Minister's Office

A Karnataka government employee has been arrested for allegedly stealing a bag containing gold ornaments and cash from the office of Byrathi Suresh, the state Urban Development and Town Planning Minister.

The complainant, Naveen, has claimed that he visited the minister's office and inadvertently left behind his bag, which contained approximately 300 grams of gold jewellery and 1.5 lakh in cash.

After realising that the bag was missing, Naveen returned to the office in search of it. When he didn't find the bag, he lodged a formal complaint with the Vidhana Soudha police.

Based on the complaint, police examined CCTV footage from the premises and identified the suspect as Antony, a group D employee at Vidhana Soudha.

He was detained for questioning and reportedly confessed to the theft during interrogation.

Following the confession, police recovered some of the stolen gold ornaments and cash.

"The incident happened about a week ago, the bag was left behind outside the chamber. In the evening, the watch and ward staff member noticed it," said Hakay Akshay Machhindra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru Central division. "We are trying to ascertain why this man brought the cash and the jewellery into Vidhan Soudha. A partial recovery of the stolen items has been made and we are continuing to ascertain all the facts."

A case of theft has been registered against the accused, and further investigation is underway.