Sambalpur: Police detained seven women in jeans and T-shirts, who were begging for alms on roads near Khaliabandh under Dhanupali police limits Saturday.
Hailing from Gujarat, they were begging for alms from people with their fabricated story that they did not have money to buy medicines for three physically challenged members and to meet the education expenses of their siblings.
They were spotted near Khailabandh on National Highway-55 at 10 am Saturday. The women were seen holding a written paper describing their plight and accosting to pedestrians besides stopping cars, trucks and bikes.
Dhanupali police took them to the police station and handed them over to their families at the railway station after a stern warning. The gang reportedly left the town by Sunday morning.
IIC of Dhanupali police station KK Panda said all the women were from Ahmedabad. They were professional beggars and used to loot people in the past.
The same group is said to have been detained by Puri police during Rath Yatra last year and was sent back to Gujarat, the IIC said.
PNN
