Bhubaneswar: Chandrasekharpur police in Bhubaneswar arrested three women for allegedly stealing gold jewellery from a shop here after posing as customers.
The incident occurred at a jewellery shop near Damana Square in Chandrasekharpur area, where the suspects entered under the pretext of buying ornaments, particularly mangalsutras.
According to police and shopkeer’s accounts, three women arrived at the store and began looking at gold pieces on display. While one distracted the staff, another reportedly slipped a mangalsutra into the folds of her saree, using the others as cover.
The CCTV footage from inside the premises clearly captured the act, including one woman tucking the item while pretending to inspect the jewellery. “Three women entered the shop looking at mangalsutras and managed to discreetly hide one around their waist. After reviewing the CCTV footage, we confirmed the theft and caught them,” shopkeeper Santosh Prusty told the media.
A PCR team and Chandrasekharpur police arrived promptly, recovered the stolen gold items and took the three accused into custody.
During questioning, the suspects claimed they had only been holding and looking at the jewellery with the intention of purchasing it and offered apologies.
Police investigations revealed that multiple prior cases were registered against the trio.The three women were subsequently arrested and forwarded to court. Further investigation is underway to determine possible links to similar retail thefts in the city. Police have also advised local business owners to maintain active surveillance inside commercial premises.
This comes almost four months after Boyanika showroom in Angul reported a similar incident when six women and a driver arrived in an expensive car and stole sarees valued at ₹7 lakh. While staff showcased premium inventory, the women hid stolen items beneath their own sarees, seamlessly pulling off the heist unnoticed.