BERHAMPUR: Berhampur police busted an inter-state all-women gang of chain snatchers by arresting six of its members and their driver from Cuttack on Wednesday.
Police seized several stolen gold chains, Rs 25,000 cash, cutter and an SUV from the accused - Nagu Behera (46), S Puspa (50), Basanti Rao (62), Mina Rao (43), H Puspa (50), Sabita Sahu (32) and their driver Bijay Jena (26).
The gang was reportedly involved in robbing several elderly women in crowded temples.
Sources said a gold chain was snatched from an elderly woman inside the Jagannath temple at Courtpeta in Berhampur on February 8. As part of investigation, police analysed the CCTV footage and arrested one Parvati Nayak (55) of Cuttack. The stolen gold chain was also recovered from her possession.
Suspecting her to be a part of a chain-snatching gang, police kept a track of the persons who visited the jail to meet Parvati. The cops found that several women visited the jail in an SUV. Subsequently, the four-wheeler’s registration number was traced to Cuttack. A team of police reached Cuttack on Tuesday and arrested Bijay, the car owner.
Police said during interrogation, Bijay reportedly revealed the names of the gang members and their modus operandi. The gang, led by Parvati, visited crowded temples during auspicious occasions, and targeted elderly women wearing gold chains. If a victim’s neck was covered, the thieves would allegedly lift the saree, remove the chain with a cutter, and quickly pass it to another member.
Bijay said that he transported the women members of the gang to different places across the state including Berhampur, Puri, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Paradip, Khurda, Jajpur and Bhubaneswar to commit the thefts. After snatching the ornaments, they would return to Cuttack, sell the gold and divide the money. Bijay received a share of the profits.
All the accused were produced in court and further investigation is underway to nab the other members of the gang, police said.