Maharashtra-based lady looters target lone women in Bhubaneswar

A gang of women looters from Maharashtra has reportedly been targeting lone women in Bhubaneswar, stealing their valuables by posing as friendly co-passengers. As per sources, the accused women befriend unsuspecting victims, engage them in casual conversation, and later steal expensive jewellery.

The gang specifically targets women travelling alone. They strike up conversations, sit close to the victims, and under the pretext of asking for directions, discreetly steal valuables from the victims’ bags.

One such incident has reportedly come to light from the Khandagiri police station area of Bhubaneswar. On January 19, a woman was travelling in an auto-rickshaw from Xavier Square to Baramunda. When the auto reached Nayapalli, two women noticed that she was travelling alone and boarded the same auto, sitting on either side of her.

Moments later, while the victim was distracted, the accused allegedly stole more than 60 grams of gold jewellery from her bag. The stolen jewellery is estimated to be worth around Rs 9 lakh.

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Following the incident, the victim lodged an FIR at the local police station. However, as no immediate action was reportedly taken by the police, the victim’s family sought help from the Smart City CCTV surveillance system. Using CCTV footage, they searched across Bhubaneswar, traced the two accused women, and eventually handed them over to the police on Monday.

"I was coming in an auto-rickshaw from Xavier Square on January 19. Both the women boarded the same auto at Nayapalli, sitting on either side of me. When I got off from the auto, I found my gold ornaments missing from the bag," said the victim.