 "Online gambling addiction forced the security guard to steal IPL jerseys from BCCI office. Image: PTI")
A massive case of robbery at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium has come to light as Indian Premier League (IPL) jerseys worth Rs 6.5 lakh go missing. As per a report in The Times of India, a 40-year-old security guard, Farooque Aslam Khan, has been accused of stealing a carton of IPL jerseys from the storeroom in the office of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) at Wankhede Stadium, Churchgate.
A total of 261 jerseys were allegedly stolen, with their total worth being Rs 6.52 lakh. Each jersey costs around Rs 2,500. There’s no clarity on whether the jerseys were for the fans or the players, but it has been reported that Khan stole the shirts to fund his online gambling activities.
Online gambling addiction forces guard to steal IPL jerseys
The jerseys were stolen on 13 June, but the robbery came to light recently after an audit exposed that some stock was missing from the BCCI office storeroom. Upon checking the CCTV footage, Khan was seen carrying a cardboard box, which allegedly contained the shirts.
Farooque Aslam Khan allegedly sold the jerseys to an online dealer in Haryana after getting in contact with him through social media. So far, the police have claimed that they have recovered around 50 jerseys and there’s no clarity on how much money the security guard received after selling the jerseys to the online dealer.
“The guard claims he haggled a bit with the online dealer, but he hasn’t yet specified how much he got for the deal,” a police source told TOI.
The police have also been in touch with the online dealer, who informed them that the stock was sold to him as part of a stock clearance sale.
“The online dealer says he was not aware that the jerseys had been stolen,” the police source added. “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.”
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“He [the guard] claims he lost it all to online gambling.”
The official complaint in the matter was lodged by the BCCI at the Marine Drive police station on 17 July.