Bengaluru, 23 Dec

Police have arrested a man in connection with a theft at the residence of a Kannada serial actor in the JP Nagar area of Bengaluru and seized gold and silver ornaments, cash and other valuables worth Rs 65.28 lakh, officials said on Tuesday.

With the arrest, police have detected seven similar theft cases allegedly committed by the accused in different parts of Karnataka.

According to the police, the complainant, a make-up artist by profession, stated that her husband, a Kannada serial actor, had left for a shoot on March 11. She locked the house and went to her mother-in-law’s residence in Hoskote to attend a festival. Expecting her husband to return home, she kept the house key inside a shoe rack box.

However, the actor also travelled to Hoskote the same night and later went to Chennai with relatives on March 13. He subsequently asked a friend to collect the house key kept in the shoe rack box. The friend collected the key that night.

On March 17, when the woman returned to the house, the key was sent to her through an e-commerce delivery service. After opening the door, she found household articles scattered. On checking the cupboard, she noticed that a gold pendant chain, four rings and a pair of earrings were missing, police said.

Based on her complaint, a theft case was registered at the JP Nagar police station.

During the investigation, police apprehended the accused near a tea shop at Nagawara Circle on December 5, following inputs from informants, a senior officer said. During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to the crime and to committing similar thefts elsewhere.

“The accused revealed that the gold ornaments stolen in this case and in other districts were kept at his residence in Sarai Palya and at a jewellery workshop in Channarayapatna,” the officer said.

Police said 478 grams of gold bars and ornaments, 1.55 kg of silver bars, Rs 4.60 lakh in cash and a two-wheeler were seized.