Shopkeeper helps cops nab women pickpockets

Alertness of a shopkeeper helped the UT Police in arresting a gang of women pickpockets at the Sadar Bazar market of Sector 19 on Thursday.

The gang operated in a group with children and pretended to be shoppers. While shopping, they would put a dupatta on the bag of the victim, who usually happened to be a woman, and steal the cash.

The incident happened when Sonia, a resident of Baltana, was visiting a shop to get an electric iron exchanged. "I was standing at the shop when these women came and stood next to me. I did not realise but as they left, the shopkeeper asked me to check my bag as he doubted something was wrong," she said.

When Sonia checked her bag, she found the wallet missing. She told the shopkeeper, Parvesh, who then ran behind those women. "There was a group of nearly 15 women sitting near the market area with children. As I approached them, a few of them escaped in an auto," Parvesh said. "I saw these women standing much close to my customer. I thought they might have stolen something from her and so I asked her to check the bag."

Sonia and Parvesh then approached the police station with the women who were left behind. Sonia's wallet with all the documents was recovered from those women but Rs 3000 were missing. As per Sonia, one of the women who fled took the money along.

As soon as the news spread in the market, another woman, Santosh, a resident of Bathinda, approached the police station. She said, "My bag was cut open by someone from the bottom on Monday and Rs 11,000 were stolen. I was also surrounded by women."

Later, she identified the same women and filed a complaint in the police station.

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