VILLUPURAM: A soothsayer allegedly drugged a 23-year-old woman by giving her some powder which, he claimed was sacred ash, and robbed her of her gold jewellery, near Mailam. He was arrested on Saturday by the police with the help of an autorickshaw driver.
Police said the woman Shenbagam (name changed), of Puducherry doing M Pharm in a private college near JIPMER Hospital, was on her way to the college on Saturday when Suresh Kumar (45), of Vellore, stopped her near her house and introduced himself as her paternal uncle’s friend. He then told her he was a soothsayer and gave her some powder, saying it was vibhuti.
Shenbagam, who applied it on her forehead and neck, lost consciousness and after regaining it three hours later found herself lying near the Mariamman temple near Mailam. She realised that her jewellery were missing. She went to the Mailam police station in an auto to lodge a complaint.
While the police were enquiring her, the auto-driver informed the officials that he had seen the soothsayer hiring an auto from his stand. The police got the contact number of the auto-driver, who was taking Suresh, and alerted him about the trip. The driver then stopped the vehicle and pretended to attend to a mechanical snag, when the policemen, who had rushed to the spot, caught the soothsayer.