The R.R. Nagar police have arrested a couple for allegedly stealing gold jewellery and cash from their visually impaired friend, who had been living with them for nearly eight years.

The police said on Tuesday that the accused have been identified as Sharmila Sheshadri, 50, an MBA graduate, and her husband Ganesh Kumar, 52, a diploma holder. The duo was working for a private firm.

According to the police, the victim had been residing at the couple’s house in BEML Layout 5th Stage for the past eight years.

Investigations revealed that in June 2024, the victim had retrieved gold jewellery from a bank locker with the intention of shifting it to another bank locker. She had also added ₹49.50 lakh in cash and kept the valuables in a wardrobe in a room at the house, while retaining the key.

However, when she later attempted to access the valuables to deposit them in another locker, she found the keys missing. When she requested the couple to arrange for a locksmith, they allegedly failed to respond.

The victim later contacted a locksmith herself and discovered that the cash and jewellery were missing from the cupboard.

During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to facing financial difficulties and using the cash for business purposes. They also allegedly confessed to pledging the gold jewellery at a jewellery shop and told the victim that they would not return either the money or the ornaments.

Following the complaint, the R.R. Nagar police registered a case and took the couple into custody on May 7.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to stealing the valuables to fund their business. The police said the couple disclosed that they had handed over the stolen gold ornaments to a friend residing in Halasuru.

Based on the information, the police recovered 232 grams of gold jewellery worth approximately ₹35 lakh.

The accused were later remanded in judicial custody.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said he has directed investigators to recover the remaining cash at the earliest and return it to the victim.