Bengaluru: A 50-year-old man was arrested on charges of fleeing with gold ornaments, mostly belonging to the wives of priests or other women in their families, on the pretext of needing these for rituals.Seven similar cases were filed earlier against the accused, Praveen Bhat, who belongs to Bhadravati in Shivamogga district and is a resident of Hosur Road in Bengaluru. The latest case was registered by Rajajinagar police.Win trust and rob gold Investigation revealed Bhat would befriend priests by regularly visiting temples and win their trust with handsome contributions. “In the latest case, he told a priest from Prakashnagar recently that he was opening a new shop and wished to take the priest’s wife to the store since she is Muttaide (a married woman whose husband is alive) as a token of good luck. Since Bhat had visited the priest many times, the latter trusted him and sent his wife. Bhat took her in an auto and, while travelling near KR Market, he asked her to remove her gold chain and finger ring for safety. Pocketing them, he fled,” DCP, north division, BS Nemagoud, said. The stolen articles were assessed to be worth Rs 4.5 lakh. Later, a complaint was filed against Bhat and cops traced him to his Hosur Road residence. Police recovered 115 grams of gold ornaments from him, which he had pledged in jewellery shops.
