Former teacher from Mysuru arrested for stealing gold valuables at exhibition in Bengaluru

The accused had worked as a teacher for a few years in the Gulf. She returned to her hometown during the covid pandemic and has been jobless since then, police said.

The Subramanya Nagar police arrested a 64-year-old former teacher from Mysuru on March 10 and recovered 78 grams of gold valuables and 12 grams of diamond bracelet worth ₹8 lakh, which she had allegedly stolen from a gold exhibition in Bengaluru.

The accused, Zaheera Fathima, is a resident of Udayagiri. She lives alone after the death of her husband and is suffering from a cardiac problem.

She had worked as a teacher for a few years in the Gulf. She returned to her hometown during the covid pandemic and has been jobless since then, police said.

She decided to steal gold valuables and sell them. She would check social media to find gold exhibitions in Bengaluru. She would like and subscribe to them to get notification.

After getting an invite, she would visit the exhibition as a prospective customer and steal valuables after diverting the attention of the staff.

She went to one such exhibition, held at a hotel on Dr. Rajkumar Road in Subramanya Nagar, and allegedly stole a diamond bracelet and a pair of gold bangles worth ₹4.7 lakh.

Based on a complaint filed by the manager of a gold shop, the police analysed the CCTV footage. They identified Zaheera Fathima as a possible suspect and studied her modus operandi.