E-Paper
Ludhiana: Ragpickers break into doctor’s house, flee with imported liquor, valuables
The incident took place while the doctor’s residence was under renovation and unoccupied; the city police have arrested four out of the six accused women involved in the theft
A group of women rag pickers broke into the house of a city-based doctor and escaped with imported liquor bottles, purses, perfumes and video games. The incident took place while the doctor’s residence was under renovation and unoccupied. Acting swiftly, the city police have arrested four out of the six accused women involved in the theft.
The arrested women have been identified as Babali, Kajal, Pinki and Nikadi, while the absconding accused, Geeta and Maaiya, are still on the run. All six belong to the slum area of Prem Nagar in Mullanpur. The case was registered based on a complaint lodged by Gursharan Singh, a resident of Malerkotla, who works as the caretaker of the doctor’s residence.
According to Gursharan Singh’s statement, the doctor’s house is currently being renovated, and he routinely checks the property. “On October 6, I visited the site to inspect the work and locked up before leaving. However, when I returned the next morning, I noticed the cupboard in one of the rooms was broken open. Several liquor bottles, purses, perfume bottles and video games were missing,” he said. He immediately informed the doctor and reported the theft to the police.
Sub-inspector Lakhwinder Masih, in-charge of the Kochar Market police post, said the doctor possesses a legal licence for imported liquor. “The women, who work as rag pickers, noticed the locked house and entered by scaling the boundary wall. They stole around 18 bottles of imported liquor, along with purses, perfumes and video games. Their movements were captured on CCTV cameras installed at a neighbouring house,” the SI said.
He further added, “All six accused have been identified. So far, four have been arrested, and from their possession, the police have recovered two liquor bottles and two purses. Efforts are underway to nab the remaining two women and recover the rest of the stolen goods.”
A case under Sections 331 (house trespass) and 305 (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against the accused at Division Number 5 police station. The police are continuing their investigation.
