Bengaluru police arrest repeat offender who stole gold rings using sleight of hand

Bengaluru Police have arrested a 36-year-old habitual offender who allegedly stole gold rings from jewellery shops by swapping them with fake ones. The arrest has led to the recovery of more than 22 grams of gold and solved three theft cases filed in different parts of the city.

The accused has been identified as Rajesh B.G., a resident of Kempegowdanagar in southwest Bengaluru’s Byadarahalli. He was arrested on November 17 and a Bengaluru court has remanded him in judicial custody.

The case was registered by Babu Lal, the proprietor of Sri Ganesh Gold Palace in Bhuvaneshwarinagar, on November 4. He stated that on November 3, an unidentified man visited his shop around 8 p.m. saying he wanted to see gold rings. While the staff were attending to another customer, the man removed a gold ring weighing 15.49 grams from the tray and placed a fake ring in its place and left the shop. 

“The discrepancy was discovered later when the staff carried out routine checks. The missing ring was worth about ₹1.75 lakh,” Mr. Lal told the police.

Following the complaint, the Jnanabharathi Police registered a case and arrested Rajesh. During the investigation, Rajesh reportedly admitted to being involved in similar thefts in the Jnanabharati and Magadi Road police station limits. 

Gold recovered worth ₹2.3 lakh

According to the police, he had melted the stolen jewellery to avoid identification and converted them into small gold pieces. The police recovered gold pieces weighing 5.9 grams, 8.9 grams, and a gold ring weighing 7.57 grams, together valued at around ₹2.3 lakh. 

The recoveries have solved three cases registered against him, including two in the Jnanabharati Police Station and one in the Magadi Road Police Station.

Police sources added that Rajesh is a repeat offender, who had previously been arrested in 2024 in theft cases registered at the Kengeri and Govindarajanagar police stations. After securing bail in those cases, he allegedly continued committing similar offences in the city.