CHENNAI: The police have arrested a man and woman from Chittoor in
Andhra Pradesh and recovered about 42
sovereigns of gold jewellery worth 10 lakh and 85,000, part of the loot they had managed to acquire in more than 12 cases in the city.
The arrested were identified as Rathi, 32, and her sister's husband K Prabhakar, 30.
"The duo had recently moved to the city and targeted
women passengers travelling on MTC and
small buses. They would leave their home in Vadapalani around 7am and travel by bus, posing as a couple, along with Rathi's one-year-old son. They would hand over the child to women passengers to distract them and, while getting off the bus, steal their valuables," said K Pasupathi, crime inspector at Vadapalani police station.
"However, on Tuesday, Rathi tried to steal the chain of a woman who raised an alarm and, with the help of the other passengers, the duo were nabbed and handed over to the Vadapalani police station," added the officer.
The police said the two usually travelled towards Mylapore and Poonamallee which are the busiest routes from Vadapalani.
A police investigation found that they would also target women in crowded places including temples and markets. The two were remanded in judicial custody by a magistrate court in the city on Thursday.
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