To impress his wife, Bengaluru thief wears cop’s uniform while in custody, constable suspended: Report

A Bengaluru police constable was suspended after a theft suspect was found wearing his uniform during a video call with his wife.

A Bengaluru police constable has been suspended for gross negligence after a theft accused, while in police custody, was found wearing the constable’s uniform during a video call with his wife.

The accused is a habitual offender with more than 50 theft cases against him. (Representational Image)

The accused, identified as Saleem Sheikh, alias Bombay Saleem, is a habitual offender with more than 50 theft cases against him. The constable, Sonare H R, attached to Govindapura police station, was suspended after a screenshot of Saleem wearing the uniform surfaced during an investigation, Indian Express reported.

The incident came to light when the Indiranagar police were probing a theft case reported on June 23. During technical analysis, investigators found that Saleem had been active in the area and was allegedly part of a larger gang.

Tracking Saleem to Pune, the Bengaluru police alerted their counterparts in Maharashtra and dispatched a team to bring him back. At the time of his latest arrest, Saleem had allegedly stolen expensive ornaments, sarees, and other valuables, the report further added.

However, while combing through Saleem’s mobile phone data, Indiranagar police discovered a screenshot from a WhatsApp video call in which he appeared dressed in a police uniform.

According to the publication, further inquiry revealed that Saleem had previously been arrested by Govindapura police in another theft case. While recovering stolen items, police had taken him outside the city and lodged him in a hotel. It was during this time that the uniform incident occurred.

“Saleem had used Constable Sonare’s uniform to make a video call to his wife. The officers had locked him in the room and gone out shopping. He found the uniform in the room and wore it just to show off. This is a clear case of negligence,” a police official said according as quoted by the publication.

Consequently, Constable Sonare has been suspended from duty.