The Commercial Street police on Saturday arrested a 32-year-old former contract employee working at the mortuary of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospitals for allegedly stealing ear rings and a gold chain from the body of 13-year-old Divyanshi, who was among the 11 killed in the stampede at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during the victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru on June 4.
However, the police could not recover the stolen valuables, which according to the mother of the victim, had a sentimental value for the family.
The accused, Stalin, 32, a resident of Vivek Nagar, was sacked from duty due to chronic alcoholism two months prior to the incident. However, due to the emergency situation when six bodies were brought to the mortuary on June 4, he was called back to assist the postmortem that had to be completed in a short duration.
The accused had allegedly stolen the valuables from the deceased body. However, he lost them when he collapsed drunk on the road while returning home.
The theft came to light when the victim’s family members noticed the valuables missing and raised a complaint with the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospitals mortuary staff. Since there was no response, she approached the police and filed a complaint on July 24. In her complaint, the deceased’s mother said that the ear rings and gold chain worth ₹1 lakh was gifted by Divyanshi’s uncle on her birthday and holds sentimental value.
Based on the complaint, the police conducted a detailed probe before zeroing in on Stalin. Though Stalin reportedly confessed to the crime, he told the police that he lost the valuables. The police conducted a spot inspection at the place where he reportedly collapsed drunk on the way home that day.
The police said that footage from nearby CCTV cameras was being analysed to check if someone found them and picked it up.
Published – August 03, 2025 06:57 pm IST
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