A series of thefts reported from different parts of north Chennai over the past two days led the police to a seven-member women gang who allegedly targeted the elderly. Special teams were formed by the Chennai police and the suspects were arrested from a rented house in KK Nagar. Police recovered 200 grams of gold and Rs 10,000 in cash from the women.
According to reports, the accused are aged between 27 and 50 and have been identified as S Esakiammal (27), K Rani (28), R Thilaga (31), K Mariya (33), T Usha (34), M Lakshmi (40), and V Rajamani (50). The women hail from Manthi Thoppe in Thoothukudi.
Over 15 incidents of theft of gold and cash were reported in Thiruvottriyur, New Washermenpet, RK Nagar, Villivakkam, Esplanade, Flower Bazaar, Basin Bridge and Egmore police stations. This included 60-year-old Sathya who lost her two-sovereign gold chain in a bus journey from toll plaza bus stop in Tiruvottiyur and 70-year-old Kuppammal from Korukkupet who had lost her pension money and her gold chain on a share-auto ride from Tondiarpet.
The women had befriended Sathya on the bus journey and took to their heels with her chain. With Kuppammal, who was returning home with her pension money, one of them had allegedly told her that her chain had snapped following which Kuppammal removed it and put it inside her purse along with the pension money. When she alighted from the share-auto, she found that her purse was missing.
According to the police, the gang targeted only the elderly at vulnerable spots such as bus stands. During such times, they would coax the person waiting for the bus to board with them in the auto on the pretext that the bus would not come anytime soon. When the victim boarded the share auto, they would execute their plan using attention diversion tactics.
The seven women have been taken into custody and judicially remanded. Police have convened a meeting with auto drivers in the city to alert them to such tactics in future.