The Bengaluru city police arrested a police constable who allegedly committed burglaries after suffering huge losses in online cricket betting. The police department reportedly recommended dismissing him from the service.
Yallappa Sanna Sharanappa, attached to the Kempegowda International Airport police station, had availed loans up to Rs 20 lakh after betting apps landed him in financial strain.
The incident came to light when Manorama B K, a resident of Mallathahalli near Bangalore University, approached the police after gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 13 lakh went missing from her house. The Jnanabharathi police checked over 50 CCTV cameras and found a bike suspected to be used in the burglary.
While the bike had a fake registration plate, the police got the chassis number and approached the first owner who said he had sold it to Sharanappa. The police detained Sharanappa, and they found that his fingerprints matched those found in two other burglary cases, in Chikkajala and Chandra Layout.
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A police officer said, “He committed theft in a post office in Chikkajala this August and broke into a house in Chandra Layout in September.”
This was not the first time Sharanappa had been accused in a burglary case. “While working in Banashankari police station, he had made friends with some burglar and had attempted to break into a finance company building but gave up after the alarm triggered. An attempted theft case was registered, and the police discovered his involvement. He was suspended, and a chargesheet was pending. His suspension was later revoked, and he was posted to the Devanahalli police station,” said a police officer.
Following the arrest, the police took Sharanappa to his native place, Ballari, and recovered the stolen ornaments — 4.13 kg silver and 26 gm gold ornaments that he had pawned to get the money to repay the debts.
