Udupi: Police have arrested a 45-year-old home nurse for allegedly stealing a 15-gram gold chain from a 75-year-old woman at her house in Kukkehalli village in Udupi taluk.Police arrested the accused, Umesh Shetty, near his residence in Subrahmanya Nagar, Udupi, on Friday. Police recovered the stolen gold, valued at Rs 1.8 lakh, and the motorcycle allegedly used in the offence.According to a complaint filed by Shankar Kulal, 53, on Sept 13, a man aged around 40-45 visited the woman at about 10.30am and told her that he knew about the death of her son, Dinesh, and that insurance officials would visit her the next day. He allegedly assured her that he would help her secure a higher insurance payout and stayed at the house for about 15 minutes before leaving.Later, the woman removed the gold chain she was wearing, weighing approximately two sovereigns, and placed it on a table inside the house.Around 1.30pm, the same man returned and allegedly spoke to her sympathetically, consoling her over her son’s death. As the house door was open, she asked him to sit on the veranda while she went to bring a cow into the shed.When she returned, the man was missing. Suspecting something amiss, she went inside and found the gold chain on the table missing.During the investigation, police examined around 50-60 CCTV footage recordings and used technical evidence to identify the accused. He was subsequently arrested, and the stolen gold and motorcycle were seized.The accused was produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody.The operation was carried out under the leadership of Udupi sub-division DySP Belliappa and circle inspector Gopikrishna, with the assistance of PSI (law and order) BE Punit Kumar and other personnel.
