BENGALURU: A software engineer, who was addicted to online betting and lost money to gambling, turned to theft. The Magadi Road police arrested the accused, who was involved in chain snatching and house break-in thefts.
The accused, K N Murthy (27), a resident of Hongasandra and a native of Shivamogga, works for a private firm in the city.
The police said that based on a chain snatching case registered in their station limits, Murthy was arrested in June near Begur Road. During interrogation, he confessed and also revealed his involvement in three other house break-ins and thefts. Police have seized 245 grams of gold jewellery worth over Rs 16.5 lakh from him. A senior police officer said that Murthy, who was working as a software engineer, had become addicted to online betting and lost several lakhs of rupees.
With lenders pressuring him to repay the debts, he resorted to house break-ins and chain snatching to raise money. His father, Annappa, had already sold off his property in Shivamogga to repay his son’s debts. Despite this, Murthy continued gambling. Annappa had even come to the city to work as a security guard to help clear his son’s debts, the police said.