05 December,2014 06:55 AM IST | | Sagar Rajput and Shirish Vaktania
Cops on lookout for a teenaged boy and girl, who have been entering wedding venues posing as guests, having free food and then making off with jewellery, cash and other valuables
Police are on the lookout for a teenaged boy and girl who have been entering wedding venues posing as guests, having free food and then making off with cash, jewellery and other valuables.
They are believed to have been behind at least two such thefts in the span of a month. According to police officials, the latest incident took place on Monday during a reception at a banquet hall in Malad, where the newly married couple ended up losing cash and jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh.
Speaking to mid-day, Senior Police Inspector Mahipati Pandharmise from Kandivli police station said, "We have obtained CCTV footage of the two accused from the hall and have ascertained that they have been committing similar crimes in other areas in our jurisdiction as well. A month ago, they had stolen jewellery during another wedding."
Officials said that the accused, believed to be between 15 and 17 years old, seem to follow a set modus operandi. They wear good clothes and enter wedding venues posing as guests. They then have dinner and look around, zeroing in on their targets.
"In the CCTV footage, the accused can be seen looking around and identifying the important members of the families of the bride and the groom. The girl can be seen making her way near the dais and hunting
for bags full of ornaments and cash envelopes. She then signals to the boy, who slyly picks up a bag and then they leave the venue, one after the other," said a police officer.
While wrapping up after the function on Monday, the groom's family realised that the bag was missing and registered a complaint at Kandivli police station. The accused have been booked under Sections 380 (theft) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
