The Mico Layout police arrested a woman on Saturday for allegedly stealing 10 laptops from paying guest (PG) accommodations. “We learned that she had sold the laptops for money to fund her lifestyle,” said the police.
Acting on a tip-off, the police caught Shobha, 23, while she was trying to sell a stolen laptop at a service centre. “The accused, Shobha, is a diploma holder from Chintamani. She had lived in a PG accommodation in the city and worked as an executive in a private firm for a few months,” the police said. While at the PG, she allegedly stole a laptop, sold it and spent the money on herself and her boyfriend. “She then targeted other PG accommodations. She would visit them under the pretext of looking for a room on a sharing basis. She always used a different name,” a senior police officer said.
Whenever she saw that a potential roommate had a laptop, she would express interest in moving in. She allegedly promised the landlord/landlady that she would pay the deposit and submit her identity proof at a later date. When unsuspecting owners left the room, she would the put the laptops and other belongings in her backpack and escape.
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“She made as much as ₹4 lakh in three months, selling stolen goods,” the officer added. The Mico Layout police have recovered the laptops from the shops and are trying to track down her boyfriend.