KOCHI: The New Delhi native woman who was arrested for stealing two gold bangles from a jewellery shop here is suspected to be part of an inter-state gang specialising in jewellery thefts, police have said.
Anju Chopra, 37, of Connaught Place in New Delhi arrived at the shop on MG Road on Thursday in the guise of purchasing gold and took away two bangles weighing about three sovereigns.
However, the quick intervention of the Central police helped arrest the accused in front of South railway station within a few hours after the jewellery shop manager lodged a complaint. Upon searching her bag, the police recovered 14 gold bangles including the two lifted from the jewellery shop.
“All bangles recovered were made of gold. The designs of these ornaments reveals that they were made outside the state. It was also learnt that she had been to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh before coming to Kerala. Hence, we suspect that she is part of an inter-state thief gang,” said an officer.“A detailed investigation is under way,” said S Vijay Shankar, SHO, Central police.
The police said the woman arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on June 16 and came to Kochi on June 21 after visiting Alappuzha. She was staying in a lodge in the city. Upon receiving the complaint, the police reached the jewellery shop, examined the CCTV visuals in the shop and identified the woman.
The footage from other CCTV cameras in the city showed the woman getting into an autorickshaw. The police traced this vehicle and upon interrogation, the driver said he had dropped the woman at a lodge. The accused was later arrested from the South railway station.