The police said the arrested suspect, Suresh Ezhumalai of Saidapet, worked in the silk saree section at the textile showroom on Venkatanarayana Road. He had been employed at the store for three years, police said.

The manager learnt about Suresh's activities after an internal audit and perused the CCTV footage, which showed the staffer concealing the sarees inside his shirt before leaving work.

Investigation revealed that he lured customers visiting the store by promising them home delivery at half the price, all the while creating the impression that it was the store's policy.