A former television actress has been arrested in connection with an alleged gold and cash theft in the Posta area of North Kolkata. The accused, Rupa Dutta (42), was apprehended on Thursday, leading to the recovery of a “significant portion of the stolen jewellery”, police said.

She was produced before Bankshall Court, where she was remanded to police custody until November 7.

“The theft occurred on October 15 between 4:15 pm and 4:30 pm, when an unknown person stole the purse of the complainant, Dipa Agarwal, while she was shopping at a shop in Adi Banstalla Lane, Posta,” said a senior Kolkata Police official.

Dutta was booked under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for theft, following which the detective department arrested her. The case was registered on October 15.

The stolen items included a gold mangalsutra (approximately 20 grams), a ladies’ gold chain with a Vaishno Devi locket (21 grams), two gold bracelets (13 grams and 9 grams), and Rs 4,000 in cash.

“During the investigation, CCTV footage was analyzed, and acting upon credible source information and technical surveillance, a secret watch was maintained in the Burrabazar area. Rupa Dutta, residing at Kalighat and Gariahat, was arrested on Thursday afternoon near Nanda Ram Market on Brabourne Road by the Watch Section team with the help of lady police personnel,” the official said.

Following interrogation, police allegedly recovered and seized one gold mangalsutra, one ladies’ gold neck chain with a Vaishno Devi locket, and two gold bracelets, weighing a total of 62.95 grams, from her residence in the presence of witnesses.

Police said that during further questioning, it emerged that the accused is a former TV actress who has allegedly been involved in similar crimes over the past few years.