Delhi: Sweet shop staffer held for stealing ₹3.85 lakh from employer

Delhi: Sweet shop staffer held for stealing ₹3.85 lakh from employer

New Delhi, A 47-year-old helper at a sweet shop was apprehended from Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior for allegedly stealing ₹3.85 lakh from his employer in central Delhi, an official said on Saturday.

Delhi: Sweet shop staffer held for stealing ₹3.85 lakh from employer

The accused, identified as Sanjay Sharma, a resident of Gwalior, was working as a helper at a sweets shop in the Chawri Bazar area, he said.

According to police, the case came to light on April 29 when the shop owner lodged an e-FIR, alleging that cash had been stolen from his shop during the night.

The complainant told the police that he had closed his shop around 9 pm on April 28 after instructing his manager and Sharma to close the premises at 10 pm. However, during the intervening night, Sharma allegedly took the keys, reopened the shop and decamped with ₹3.85 lakh kept in the cash box, police said, adding that the act was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the premises.

"With only the mobile number of the accused as the initial lead, the team relied on technical surveillance and continuous tracking. Despite the accused frequently changing his location to evade arrest, the team managed to follow his trail," a senior police officer said.

The accused was eventually tracked to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, where the team conducted an interstate operation and apprehended him within 36 hours of the case being reported, police said.

During interrogation, Sharma revealed that he had recently joined the shop and exploited his access to the premises to commit the theft. He is educated up to Class 8 and has been working intermittently at sweet shops in Delhi for the past 12-13 years, they added.

Police said ₹1,28,380 was recovered from his possession, while approximately ₹1.97 lakh was traced in his bank account, which has been frozen. The total recovery and traced amount stands at around ₹3.25 lakh.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.