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In a bid to become rich overnight, a cashier allegedly stole ₹91.76 lakh from the very office where he was employed. Sadashivanagar police have arrested the accused and his associate in connection with the case.

The arrested have been identified as Dhananjaya and Praveen Naik.

According to police, builder Narasimha runs a Builders and Mining company on BEL Road. Dhananjaya had been working there for the past three years as a cashier and accountant, drawing a monthly salary of ₹30,000. Despite handling lakhs of rupees belonging to the company on a daily basis, he was reportedly frustrated that he was not becoming wealthy quickly. Investigators said this dissatisfaction led him to hatch a plan to steal from his employer.

Dhananjaya allegedly contacted his friends Praveen Naik, Tippesh and Sunil, who were in Davanagere and Shivamogga, and sought their help in executing the theft.

Office break-in

On the night of February 19, after completing work, Narasimha locked the office and left for home. A sum of ₹1.76 crore had been kept in a drawer inside the office. Knowing this, Dhananjaya and his associates allegedly broke open the office lock and entered the premises. Of the total cash kept there, they allegedly decamped with ₹91.76 lakh.

The theft came to light the next morning, February 20, when a neighbouring shopkeeper noticed the broken door and alerted the owner. Upon inspection, Narasimha found that ₹91.76 lakh kept in the drawer was missing.

Based on the complaint filed at Sadashivanagar Police Station, police registered a case and launched an investigation from multiple angles. Within 48 hours of the incident, on February 22, police apprehended Dhananjaya and Praveen Naik in Shivamogga. Efforts are under way to trace the absconding accused, Tippesh and Sunil.

Spent ₹10 lakh in a day

Police said the accused allegedly splurged ₹10 lakh on leisure and entertainment within a day of committing the crime. Acting on a tip-off that the remaining cash had been kept at the house of one of the absconding accused in Malavagoppa, Shivamogga, a police team recovered ₹81.66 lakh in cash.

As Dhananjaya was working in the same office from where the money was stolen, he was aware of all details, including where the cash was stored. Police believe he used this inside knowledge to plan and execute the theft.