Screengrab of CCTV footage showing the gang of women stealing saris and assisting in the act of crime at a store in Besant Nagar, Chennai on October 28, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The city police has traced a gang of thieves from Andhra Pradesh who indulged in stealing costly silk saris in textile shops and boutiques after diverting the attention of staff. The crime investigation police of Shastri Nagar police recovered pure silk Kancheevaram saris worth ₹2 lakh following a theft at a Besant Nagar store recently.
| Video Credit:
Special Arrangement
On October 28, a boutique in Besant Nagar displayed saris for Deepavali. The exhibition had on display handloom silk saris, each costing above ₹20,000. Seven women clad in saris and salwar kameez walked into the store at 4 p.m.
Two of the sales staff grew suspicious of their movements but could not raise an alarm due to the presence of other clients. The gang of women managed to keep most of the sales staff busy at various points of the store while a few of them stole 10 expensive silks to the tune of ₹2 lakh in two batches within a span of 10 minutes.
The CCTV footage that captured the entire incident shows two of the thieves wearing masks deftly pushing the stolen saris into pouches in their inner skirts. They were also seen interacting with one of the store staff. Their collective and sudden disappearance without having made any purchase raised an alarm as soon as they left the store. CCTV footage was viewed soon after and police were informed about the theft.
The investigation of the case was handled by the Crime Investigation of Shastri Nagar police under the direct supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Adyar S Nelson. The thieves were identified the same night as being part of a gang operating from Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Nelson said, “With the assistance of Andhra Pradesh Police, we were able to round up other members of the same gang near Vijayawada. The saris were retrieved from various villages and sent by courier to Chennai on Monday. Efforts are on to nab the gang of women who indulged in theft at Besant Nagar boutique. The gang is also involved in similar offences in other parts of the State.”