Woman ’hypnotised’ into parting with mangalsutra

Conman walks away with bakery owner's gold chain worth Rs 50,000 after she herself places it in his hands

Woman 'hypnotised' into parting with mangalsutra

Conman walks away with bakery owner's gold chain worth Rs 50,000 after she herself places it in his hands

If the claims of a mangalsutra- deprived woman are to be believed, then chain-snatchers in the city are resorting to "hypnotism" to relieve people of their jewellery. An owner of a bakery shop in the city said she was beguiled into giving her mangalsutra to a man who posed as a customer yesterday.u00a0 "I am unable to comprehend how on earth I removed my mangalsutra. As I clearly remember, I told him that according to our tradition we are not supposed to remove our mangalsutra," said Suvarna Teranikar (62), whose shop is in the upmarket Erandwane area. Teranikar said the fraudster was a man in his forties and was dressed in a white formal shirt and blue trousers.

Illustration/Jishu Dev Malakar

"A man entered the bakery, asked me for a cake and told me he wanted it for a puja in a Jain temple," Teranikar said. "He gave me a 500-rupee note and I gave him the balance Rs 220. I did not suspect him, as he was a dapper gentleman and I thought he had arrived in a car. He said he would collect the cake after the puja and told me it would be a good omen to touch my gold jewellery to the 500-rupee note. I did what he asked me to do with my gold ring, but he insisted I should repeat the same with my mangalsutra and then asked me to remove it.

"He then wrapped my mangalsutra in the currency note and gave it back to me. He told me I should not open it, unless his Guruji came. Initially, I refused, but later on I don't know how I followed his instructions. I think I was hypnotised. "Shortly, when I checked, I was startled to see my mangalsutra worth Rs 50,000 was nowhere to be found," Teranikar said. Sub Inspector N R Kenche of Deccan police station, who is investigating the case, said: "We have shown Teranikar pictures of all the criminals on record but it is not one of them. We will prepare a sketch on the basis of her description."

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