Sambalpur: Six members of an interstate gang of women chain snatchers have been arrested, Khetrajpur police here said during a presser held Thursday. The gang allegedly targeted women at religious places and gatherings as well as crowded public places in Sambalpur town to snatch their gold chains and necklaces, police said.
The accused were identified as G Bhanumati, 52, alias Gayatri Naik alias Kabita, having a fake address at Patanapada in Balasore Sadar, Priya Das, 45, alias Sangeeta, having a fake address at Charampa in Bhadrak district, S Thara, 40, and Pooja Singh, 38; all originally from West Bengal. The others were Deepa Das, 57, a native of the Jatni railway station area in Khurda district, having a fake address at Patiasahi in Bhubaneswar, and Kalyani Das, 39, originally from a slum near Cuttack railway station with a fake address at Jajpur Road. Police said the accused had been using fake addresses in different districts to avoid detection.
During the operation, police seized about 52 grams of melted gold plates, Rs 62,400 in cash, three mobile phones, a cutter used for cutting gold chains, a fake voter identity card and other materials from their possession. A case (16/26) has been registered at Khetrajpur police station.
Addressing a press conference at the district police headquarters, Sambalpur Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo said the accused will be taken on a three-day remand for further interrogation as part of the ongoing investigation. Bhamoo said that the interstate women’s gang had been targeting major religious festivals across the state to carry out chain snatching. The gang used to target large gatherings such as Bali Jatra, Dhanu Jatra, Sital Sasthi and temple consecration festivals. Posing as vendors selling imitation stones and ornaments, the gang members mingled with crowds to snatch gold chains from women.
To conceal their identities, the accused used fake names and addresses. During a religious event at the Samaleswari Temple under Khetrajpur police limits January 22, the gang allegedly snatched five gold chains weighing about 80 grams.
Police launched an investigation and examined CCTV footage from multiple locations while using technical surveillance to trace the suspects. Six members of the gang were arrested, and the stolen items were recovered from them. Police said the gang had been active for nearly 12 years in Odisha as well as West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
The accused used to dress in local attire and blend with devotees, making identification difficult. They also used fake identity cards to mislead police. A diary seized from the women snatchers contained detailed notes about upcoming festivals and gatherings where large numbers of women were expected. During interrogation, the accused admitted to committing similar thefts at large religious festivals such as Cuttack Bali Jatra, Bargarh Dhanu Jatra and other events across the state, including Magha Panchami, Dola Purnima and Sital Sasthi as well as temple consecration programmes.
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