BENGALURU: Two men who had allegedly stolen 748gm of gold ornaments worth Rs 1.13 crore from the residence of Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan located on Station Road near Bamboo Bazaar, were arrested by Shivajinagar police. The accused were identified as Ameer Ahmed, a distant relative of the minister, and his close aide Syed Ameen, both residents of Shivajinagar.
According to the police, the complaint was filed by Sogar Khanam (75), the minister’s mother, on April 15. In her complaint, she stated that Ahmed frequently visited their house, interacted with family members, enquired about their well-being, and gradually gained their trust.
On one occasion, Ahmed requested Rs 5 lakh from the complainant, claiming that he urgently needed the money to travel to Mecca. However, she refused to give him the amount.
Later, when she checked the gold ornaments kept in a cupboard in her house, she found them missing. Police added that suspicion fell on Ahmed after he suddenly stopped visiting the house and did not respond to phone calls. Based on the complaint, a theft case was registered and investigation started.
A senior police officer said that Ahmed was arrested on April 17 near a private college in Govindapura. During interrogation, he revealed the involvement of his accomplice, Syed Ameen, who was subsequently arrested on April 19 in Mathikere.
Investigation revealed that Ahmed, who was involved in a travel business, had suffered losses and was in financial distress. After failing to secure financial support, he allegedly hatched a plan to steal gold ornaments from the minister’s house and pledged them at a private finance firm to raise money. The stolen gold ornaments were recovered from the accused, who are currently in judicial custody, an officer said.