MUMBAI: Taking home an IPL jersey could be a desire for many. A security guard took this a bit too far by spiriting away a carton full of IPL 2025 jerseys.
The 40-year-old has been arrested for allegedly stealing 261 jerseys worth Rs 6.52 lakh — each costing around Rs 2,500 –– lifted from a storeroom at the office of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) at Wankhede Stadium, Churchgate.
The arrested guard, Farooque Aslam Khan, sold the jerseys to fund his online gambling addiction, the police said. While the jerseys were of different cricket teams, it was not immediately clear whether these were meant for players or for the general public, said a source.
The guard, who lives in Mira Road, sold the jerseys to an online jersey dealer from Haryana, with whom he had got in touch on social media.
While the jerseys were stolen on June 13, the theft came to light recently during an audit that showed stock as missing. BCCI officials examined CCTV footage and found the security guard lugging a cardboard box, the source added.
"The guard claims he haggled a bit with the online dealer, but he hasn't yet specified how much he got for the deal." The jerseys were despatched by courier.
The police summoned the online dealer from Haryana for investigation. "The online dealer says he was not aware that the jerseys had been stolen," a police source said. "The guard had told the man in Haryana that the jerseys were part of a stock clearance sale due to renovation work that was going on at the office." Only 50 of the jerseys have been recovered.
The guard got the money into his bank account from the online dealer. "He [the guard] claims he lost it all to online gambling," the source said, adding that they are checking his bank account details to verify his claim.
A BCCI official lodged a complaint at Marine Drive police station on July 17.
Mateen Hafeez, special correspondent at The Times of India in Mum...
Read MoreMateen Hafeez, special correspondent at The Times of India in Mumbai, reports on terrorism, underworld, cybercrime and organized crime syndicates. He also writes about the jails in Maharashtra and focuses on human interest stories. He has covered the Ghatkopar bomb blast, Vile Parle bomb blast, Mulund train blast, train serial blasts in 2006, 26/11 terror attacks and Pune's German Bakery bomb blast. He has a special interest in Urdu fiction written by Ibn-e-Safi.
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