Ludhiana: Women gang stealing valuables at religious event busted, four held

The four accused were arrested following a tip-off received by ASI Ajay Singh, who was patrolling the area with a police team

Ludhiana The Moti Nagar police have busted a gang of four women accused of stealing gold chains, purses, mobile phones and other valuables from women attending the religious gathering being held at the GLADA ground near Vardhman Chowk, where Bageshwar Dham seer Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri is delivering a discourse on Lord Hanuman.

The women used crowded religious events as an opportunity to target devotees. (HT File)

The four accused were arrested following a tip-off received by ASI Ajay Singh, who was patrolling the area with a police team.

According to police, the informer told them that a gang of women was active at the religious gathering being held at Vardhman Factory on Chandigarh Road, opposite the GLADA ground, and was allegedly taking advantage of the heavy crowd to commit thefts.

Acting on the information, the police team reached a park opposite Ram Darbar Temple and apprehended four women who were sitting there. They were identified as Seema, Rainu, Kiran Devi, and Kavita.

Police said Seema and Rainu are residents of Phool Mandi in New Delhi, while Kiran Devi hails from Yamanapur village in Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, and Kavita is from Kasai Mohalla in Kanpur.

During preliminary investigation, police alleged that the women used crowded religious events as an opportunity to target devotees, particularly women, and steal gold chains from their necks besides purses, mobile phones and other valuables.

The police are questioning the accused to ascertain whether more people are involved in the alleged gang and to establish their role in previous theft incidents.

ASI Ajmer Singh, who is investigating the case, said a case has been registered against all four women under Section 303(2) of the BNS. Police are also checking their criminal records and examining CCTV footage from around the religious gathering venue to identify any other thefts allegedly committed by the gang.