Chartered Accountant’s Driver Caught after Escaping with Rs. 1.5 crore

Bengaluru: A Chartered Accountant’s driver of age 45 years named Rajesh B runs away with more than Rs 1.5 crore in cash that was needed to be deposited in the bank by Rajesh on behalf of his boss, Totaprasad, a chartered accountant living in Vyalikaval near Malleswaram.

Rajesh had been working for Totaprasad for almost 10 years. The stolen money included tax payments collected from several of Totaprasad’s clients.

The incident happened on the afternoon of May 5. Totaprasad said in his police complaint, “Around 3 pm, I gave Rajesh the bag of cash and told him we should go to the bank. He nodded and walked toward the car. A little later, when I came outside, both Rajesh and the car were gone.”

Totaprasad was able to call Rajesh once. Rajesh told him that he had gone to a nearby medical shop and would be back soon. But after 30 minutes, when Totaprasad called again, Rajesh’s phone was switched off.

Police tracked Rajesh down to a hideout in the city. They found Rs 1.2 crore in cash at his house in Kodandaramapura. Rajesh told police that he had used Rs 3 lakh to pay off some debts.

Police said Rajesh had no previous criminal record and called it an act of sudden temptation. “He had seen such large sums before but had never stolen. This time, he gave in to greed,” a senior officer explained.

Rise in Theft by Domestic Workers in Karnataka

This case comes at a time when thefts by domestic workers are increasing in Karnataka. Just last week, Bengaluru police arrested three women in different cases of servant theft. They recovered gold jewellery (about 250 grams) and Rs 3 lakh in cash. All three women had only been working in those homes for a few months.

Servant theft continues to be a big problem in Karnataka. Between January 2024 and March 2025, police recorded 675 such cases. About 85% of these happened in major cities like Bengaluru, Mangaluru, and Mysuru. On average, 45 such thefts are reported each month in the state.