A 48-year-old woman, identified as Revathi, was arrested by Basavanagudi police in Bengaluru for allegedly stealing gold ornaments, cash, and other valuables from wedding ceremonies by posing as a relative of the bride or groom. The accused has been remanded to police custody for 12 days.
Revathi, a former guest lecturer, had reportedly quit her teaching job before turning to theft. According to police, she specifically targeted wedding functions, where large gatherings and busy rituals provided easy opportunities to steal. She would enter wedding halls pretending to be a relative and move in and out of rooms when women were occupied with ceremonies, quietly taking valuables left unattended.
The case came to light after a complaint was filed by a resident of Manjunath Nagar, who, along with her mother, attended a relative’s wedding at a marriage hall in Basavanagudi on November 23. The family had kept a bag containing a 32-gram gold chain, valued at around ₹3 lakh, and a piece of artificial jewellery in one of the rooms. Later, they discovered that the items were missing.
Based on the complaint, police launched an investigation and arrested Revathi from her residence on December 1. During interrogation, she admitted to committing the thefts. Police said that while some of the stolen valuables were kept at her home, others had been pledged at a bank in Kadubeesanahalli to secure a loan.
Further investigation revealed that Revathi was under severe financial stress. She reportedly told police that expenses related to her son’s education, household needs, and her husband’s cardiac illness pushed her into committing the crimes. Police are continuing investigations to ascertain whether she was involved in similar thefts elsewhere.