Broke by marriage expenses, man steals money from car

Manama : Prompt action by police led to the arrest of a newly-wed man, who stole BD15,000 from a car parked in Manama. The suspect stated that he committed the crime to recuperate from the financial crisis he landed in after spending all his savings on his wedding.

The man, whose identity has not been released, broke the windows of the car, which belonged to an Asian accountant, to steal the cash. 

The man reportedly used some of the stolen money to buy a new car for his wife. 

“Investigations began after an Asian accountant at a Manama firm reported to the police that BD15,000 he had kept in his car was missing. He said he withdrew the money from a bank and drove to his company headquarters in Manama,” a report in Interior Ministry’s publication Al Amn stated.

It stated that he parked the car on the road and was gone only for 10 minutes.

The report added, “When he returned, he found one of the car windows broken and the cash missing. A police official said speedy action was the key, since it was likely the thief would quickly spend the money, after which, it would difficult to recover. Investigations started with the police collecting evidence from the car and reviewing security camera footage.” 

The footages showed a green colour car following the victim’s car. It then showed a man emerging from the vehicle and breaking open the window, before taking the cash and fleeing, according to the report.  

“Footage also revealed that there was a particular accessory at the back of the car though the vehicle registration number was not visible. The traffic directorate was then roped in and officials provided a list of 28 similar cars, all of the same colour and having the same accessories,” the report stated.  

Police was able to catch the 25-year-old suspect in a short period of time. 

“He told the police that he kept BD10,000 at home and BD500 inside his new car,” an official said.