Minor boy’s involvement in house theft shocks Ballari cops

Ballari: The involvement of a minor boy in a major house-theft case has shocked the Ballari police on Friday. This is said to be the first case involving a boy in the district.
The 17-year-old boy from a village in Ballari district had allegedly stolen cash and gold from his neighbour’s house when the inmates were out of the city. Though none suspected him in the case, police arrested him after month of crime as they noticed a change in his behaviour.
Sources said the boy’s parents are poor, while he wanted to lead a lavish life.To fund his habits, he struck the house in his neighbourhood.
Ballari SP Saidulu Adavath told TOI that none suspected the boy soon after the theft. “When a neighbour went out of the city last month, the boy struck his house and made away with jewellery and Rs 2-3 lakh cash,” the SP added.
But police suspected him after the boy kept travelling to Bengaluru. “After we took the boy into custody, he admitted to stealing. We have recovered 105gram jewellery worth Rs 5.50 lakh from him,” he said.
During interrogation, the boy told police that he had stolen money to party in Bengaluru, and to buy costly liquor and cellphones. “He travelled 2-3 times to Bengaluru for partying. He had also planned to sell the jewellery. This is the first case in Ballari district in recent times, wherein a minor boy had pulled off a theft alone,” he said.