The accused in police custody
Kanpur: An MCA graduate allegedly stole 30 kg of silver worth Rs 75 lakh and Rs 75,000 in cash from a bullion trader’s house to repay debts accumulated through gambling and online betting. Kanpur police have arrested Sudhanshu Agrawal, 28, and recovered around 24 kg of silver buried at different locations in Nana Rao Park. He had accumulated a gambling and online betting debt of Rs 10 lakh and planned the theft to repay it, according to police. He told police that he had brought the silver and cash home from his shop around 8.30 pm on Sept 12. The theft came to light around 9.30 pm on Sept 18 when Singh’s son, Abhay, moved a wooden plank near a ground-floor cupboard and found it open. The family informed police through Dial-112. Footage from Sept 15 showed a man carrying a bag near Singh’s house and later leaving with it on his shoulder, though his face was not clearly visible.
Police said Agrawal had started working at a company in Kalyanpur after completing his MCA and had gradually accumulated debt through online betting. Efforts are on to trace the remaining silver and cash. Bullion trader Kishore Singh, a resident of Chatai Mohal in Pheelkhana, owns Priyanka Jewellers in Chowk Sarafa. The silver and cash were missing. Police examined footage from four CCTV cameras in the lane and others in the surrounding area. Investigators are trying to identify the app or website he used and the people who lent him money.
DCP East Satyajit Gupta said Agrawal was arrested in Phalmandi on Sunday evening.
Questioning of locals led police to suspect Agrawal, whose house is about 500 metres from Singh’s home.
Police said their suspicion deepened after learning that he had approached a court five days before his arrest to ascertain whether he was wanted in any case. The court had forwarded his application to police for an inquiry.