A woman accused of stealing the purse of a passenger aboard a KSRTC bus was sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment by the Koothattukulam Judicial First Class Magistrate on Wednesday after over a two-month-long trial. She was also slapped with a fine.
Shantha of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu was arrested by the Koothattukulam police on October 1 on the charge of stealing a school teacher’s purse, which was later recovered from the accused. She was slapped with IPC Section 379 (theft). She had been in remand since then.
“The accused is part of a racket involved in pickpocketing in buses. There seems a lobby at work to get these women who are caught in the act out on bail without standing trial,” said K. Brijukumar, Sub Inspector, Koothattukulam.