Calcutta, March 27: The teenage daughter of a businessman has been found stealing thousands of rupees from her father to indulge in a lavish lifestyle, such as possessing three cellphones.

Sarika?s (name changed) luck ran out after she decided to push it a little too far by emptying a staggering Rs 1.55 lakh from her father?s locker.

Her bewildered father, who has a transport business, learnt the bitter truth from police who told him how over Rs 250,000 had gone missing over many months from his coffers.

?Your hunch was right. It was your daughter who has been cleaning your locker all these days. She has confessed,? the police told him.

A few days ago, the businessman had approached the detective department with the complaint that someone was stealing money from his locker and he suspected that his daughter, who appeared to be spending too much, could be behind it.

Last week, Sarika celebrated her 19th birthday in a five-star hotel over two days.

On the father?s request, the police did not press charges against the girl, who studies in a well-known college. The father agreed to take Sarika for regular counselling.

Sarika?s habits were no different from those of any other girl of her age. She tasted freedom in the city?s nightclubs. She made friends with boys on the Internet.

?My daughter used to spend hours on the Net. She would constantly chat on the phone, running up large bills. But I ignored it,? the father told the police.

A few days before her 19th birthday, the father noticed that her handbag held not one but three cellphones. She also had clothes from Calcutta?s top designer stores in her closet. Neither parent had any inkling where the money was coming from.

When the father reported the case, the detectives questioned the maids and servants before checking Sarika out.

?We were amazed at her high-spending lifestyle. We brought her to the police headquarters, where in the face of hard questioning the girl confessed,? an officer said.