Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jan 12: Leelavati (52), who has been accused of stealing 19 sovereigns of gold ornaments and Rs 7,000 in cash from the house of Gulabi S Putran from Meenakaliya here, has been arrested by the policemen. They have recovered the gold ornaments and cash from her. The total value of stolen items was put at Rs 3.5 lac.

The theft had occurred on the night of January 6. Leelavati, who used to stay in the rented house of Gulabi since the last some years, had gone missing after the theft. Therefore, she was the prime suspect in the case. Leelavati reportedly told the policemen that she was forced to commit this crime in order to escape from the clutches of money lenders, who were pestering her to repay the debt.

Leelavati had reportedly pawned eight sovereigns of gold ornaments through a middleman in a private finance company, and gone to Bangalore with the loan proceeds of Rs 1,24,000.