An unemployed man in his mid-20s was arrested while trying to encash a blank cheque signed by The Park hotel managing director at the New Alipore branch of a private bank on Monday afternoon.

Raja Dutta had allegedly stolen valuables worth lakhs from the managing director’s office in the Park Street hotel early on Saturday. The stolen goods were found at his home.

“Dutta hails from a good family and is married to a nurse. He claimed that he was driven to theft by his mother’s ailment. She is in the final stages of cancer. He said he desperately wanted to contribute a large amount to the family for his mother’s treatment,” said a senior officer of Park Street police station.

On Saturday morning, the cleaning staff of the hotel discovered the theft in the managing director’s room.

He had worked in the office till dawn, said the police, and had left behind his laptop and two watches, including one worth around Rs 1.3 lakh. Besides, there were chocolates worth about Rs 4,000, flight tickets and cufflinks.

The hotel staff said Dutta was watching television in the lobby till dawn on Saturday. He had asked a receptionist where he could find food. She directed him to the hotel coffee shop. Dutta was not seen in the hotel since.

In the morning, the hotel employees lodged a complaint with Park Street police station after detecting the theft.

“We alerted the police stations in the surrounding areas,” said the officer.

On Monday, when Dutta went to encash the cheque — on which he had put Rs 90,000 as the amount — the bank officials smelt a rat and informed New Alipore police station. The officers there got in touch with Park Street police station, from where cops came and detained Dutta.

He broke down within minutes and admitted that the stolen goods were kept at his home in Bagha Jatin, Jadavpur. The officers took him to the house and recovered the goods.