The 18-year-old took to stealing to repay Rs 25,000 loan he took from friend for betting on an international race
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An 18-year-old gambler has been arrested for stealing a bike and later selling it, to repay the debt he incurred while betting on horse racing.
According to the Tardeo police, the accused Arbaz Khan, a Class 12 student, lives in Nagpada and belongs to a lower middle-class family. Though Khan hails from a humble background, he lived life king-size.
He wanted to splurge on the latest mobile phones, gadgets and branded clothes. Since the meagre pocket money he received from his parents didn’t help him sustain this lifestyle, he started betting on horse racing at the Mahalaxmi racecourse a year ago, said a police official from the Tardeo police station. He would often take loans from friends to support his gambling addiction.
On September 7, during a visit to the racecourse, Khan placed a hefty bet of Rs 25,000 on an international race that was airing on television. However, the teenager ended up losing the money, which he had incidentally borrowed from a friend. “Worried about repaying the loan, Khan immediately decided to steal a bike,” said the official.
“Khan rushed to a parking lot near the racecourse and scanned all the bikes, before he found one Activa without a handle lock. He dragged the bike from the place where it was parked, and hotwired it. He then took the vehicle to a place near his home and tried to figure out a potential buyer for it. By evening, he found a friend who was willing to pay R25,000 for the bike,” the official added.
Meanwhile, the owner of the stolen vehicle, Vishnu Gupta, filed a complaint at the Tardeo police station. “We got information that the stolen bike was with one teenager in Nagpada,” said Dnyanesh Devde, senior police inspector of Tardeo police station. "We sent a team to get the bike and the owner. On inquiry, the boy told us that he bought the bike from his friend Khan," Devde added.
The police traced Khan and arrested him on Monday. Khan, who is now in police custody, has been booked under IPC section 379 (theft).
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