Attention women commuters. A group of female thieves have arrived in the district to steal your wallets, snatch chains and lift mobile phones. Officials said the operation of the gang came to light with the back-to-back arrests of four Tamil women from Aluva and Varappuzha in a span of just a couple of hours on Friday. The women deployed the same modus operandi – splitting into a group of 2-3 members with each member having a specific task.

Children being used

In the first case, the police arrested two women, identified as Mari and Muthal, for stealing the mobile phone and cash kept in a woman passenger’s wallet while de-boarding a bus at the Aluva KSRTC stand. In the second case, Muthamma Ajith and Mayas Anthony were arrested while attempting to snatch a gold chain of a woman passenger near Varappuzha.

“The gang, comprising women and children, came to the district to take advantage of the rainy season. They step into crowded buses and you would never know when your bag had been cut open,” explained T.B. Vijayan, Circle Inspector of Police, Aluva.

Upon zeroing in on a potential target, the gang members will approach the target individual and divert her attention. After carrying out the theft, the stolen valuables will be swiftly handed over to another member, who disappears with them.

Requesting the public to remain vigilant whenever a suspicious person approaches, officials with the Special Branch, Intelligence Wing of the Kerala Police, said the gang also comprised children, who were responsible for diverting the attention of unsuspecting passengers.

In view of the development, the Ernakulam rural police have deployed personnel in plain clothes for patrolling along the Aluva-Angamaly and Aluva-Perumbavoor routes. “Random checks are being carried out in all the buses operating across the rural district. Further, a squad comprising officials in uniform and plain clothes will monitor the commuters in buses and at stops’’, they said.

News : The Hindu

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