A security guard was booked for stealing a cartoon full of 261 IPL 2025 jerseys worth Rs 6.52 lakh from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s merchandise store at Wankhede Stadium in Churchgate. Each jersey costs Rs 2,500. The 40-year-old accused, Farukh Aslam Khan, was arrested by Mumbai's Marine Drive police.
According to the TOI, quoting a police official, Aslam sold stolen jerseys to fund his online gambling addiction. Jerseys were said to be of different teams that participated in the last season of the Indian Premier League. However, it was not clear whether the stolen jerseys were for the players or for sale to the general public.
The security guard, a resident of Mira Road in the Mumbai suburbs, said that he sold jerseys to an online dealer based in Haryana while getting in touch through social media. The incident occurred at around June 13, and came to light during the store audit revealing stock as missing. A BCCI official lodged a complaint at the Marine Drive police station on July 17. After examining CCTV cameras installed at the BCCI's store, found that the security guard stole a cardboard box containing jerseys.
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The Marine Drive police have also summoned the online Haryana-based dealer who purchased the stolen jerseys from the guard Aslam. "The online dealer says he was not aware that the jerseys had been stolen," a police source told TOI.
Aslam told the Haryana dealer that the jerseys were part of an annual stock clearance sale due to renovation work in the office. Only 50 of the jerseys have been recovered. The dealer transferred money into the guard's bank account.
When police asked Aslam about the money he earned by selling jerseys, he claimed that he lost all in online gambling. Police are currently checking his bank transaction details to verify his claim.