Gang of women robbers incapacitates household, decamps with jewels, cash

Vijayapura: A robbery reportedly being carried out by a gang of women, members of which are in the 20-30 age group, has police personnel in Vijayapura on their toes, while residents are growing increasingly worried about their safety. And their anxiety is well-founded too. The gang reportedly breaks into residents’ homes by posing as innocuous saleswomen or representative of a company, and once in, the members of the house are incapacitated with the help of a chemical. The gang then proceeds to strip the house of valuables and cash.
Sub-inspector Sharanagouda Goudar of the Gandhichowk police station in Vijayapura, said that as many a gang of six women broke into a house in a locality that falls within the purview of the Gol Gumbaz police station, pretending to be phenyl saleswomen. Compelled to smell the phenyl to verify its quality, women in the house fainted, lapsing into unconsciousness.
The other members of the house were similarly incapacitated, and the gang proceeded to ransack the house, 40g of gold ornaments being among the loot.
The incident has understandably raised the hackles of the residents, and Vijayapura district police have cautioned people to be wary of people presenting themselves as saleswomen, etc.
Goudar said that all police personnel deputed on beat duty had been asked to stay vigilant, and on the lookout for any members of the gang. “We want to nab the gang before another family falls prey to it. The public must inform police of any suspicious people, particularly those asking them to sniff any chemical,” he added.
Another cop said that apprehending the members of this gang posed a challenge to the law enforcement officials, since it was something they had never come across before in Vijayapura.
Police have constituted several teams to keep an eye on the possible movements of the members of this gang. “We have taken this case seriously and investigation is under way,” said a cop.