Thief in Bengaluru Police custody wears cop's uniform to impress wife; constable suspended

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A Bengaluru police constable has been suspended for serious negligence after a theft accused in custody was found wearing the constable’s uniform during a video call to his wife, The Indian Express reported.

The accused, identified as Saleem Sheikh, also known as Bombay Saleem, is a notorious habitual offender with more than 50 theft cases registered against him.

Constable Sonare H R, posted at the Govindapura police station, was suspended after investigators came across a screenshot of Saleem wearing his police uniform. The image surfaced during the probe into a separate theft case.

The matter came to light when Indiranagar police were investigating a theft reported on June 23.

Technical analysis of evidence pointed to Saleem’s presence in the area, and police suspected he was part of a bigger gang.

Tracking him down to Pune, Bengaluru police coordinated with Maharashtra counterparts, arrested him, and brought him back to the city.

At the time of this latest arrest, Saleem had allegedly stolen costly ornaments, sarees, and other valuables.

While examining Saleem’s mobile phone data, officers found a screenshot from a WhatsApp video call where he appeared wearing a police uniform.

Further inquiry revealed that this happened earlier, when Saleem had been arrested by Govindapura police in another theft case. During recovery of stolen items, police had taken him outside the city and lodged him in a hotel.

According to officials, while locked inside the hotel room, Saleem found Constable Sonare’s uniform, put it on, and made a video call to his wife, apparently to boast.

The officers guarding him had allegedly gone out shopping at the time. “This is a clear case of negligence,” The Indian Express quoted a police official as saying.

Constable Sonare has now been suspended. Saleem remains a wanted man in dozens of cases across Maharashtra and Karnataka, mostly involving house burglaries.

In 2021, he was even booked for making extortion calls to businessmen while lodged at Bengaluru Central Prison.

Police had then recovered mobile phones, ganja, SIM cards, and other contraband from him and his associates, according to a report by The Times of India.