An unidentified man has been lurking in Ghatkopar to accost minor girls and lop off their locks before disappearing; residents have mobilised a youth group to patrol the area and nab the culprit u00a0 For these modern-day Rapunzels, it was no wicked witch, but an unidentified man who snipped off their lustrous locks, causing them considerable distress. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/aug/hair2.jpg" border="2" />u00a0<img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/aug/hair1.jpg" border="2" /> Four-year-old Sanskriti Ghanekar and 10-year-old Dhanshree Bargude were left in shock after a mystery man snipped off their tresses and ran away The residents of Bhatwadi and Katodi areas in Ghatkopar have been on tenterhooks, ever since an unidentified man chopped the tresses of two minor girls and walked away scot-free. Responding to this incident, local residents have roped in a group of youth to patrol the streets, in search of the 'tress'passer responsible. On August 11, four-year old Sanskriti, the daughter of Sanjay Ghanekar (38), a resident of Katodi in Ghatkopar (West), was accosted on her way home by an unidentified man, who sheared the toddler's locks, running away with his ill-gotten gains. A traumatised Sanskriti rushed home and narrated the entire incident to her parents. "I had heard swirling rumours of a man who lurks in the neighbourhood with a pair of scissors hidden in a handkerchief. He catches young girls, and lops off their hair in a trice. I think he is a tantrik who needs hair for his occult rituals," said Ghanekar. Little Sanskriti told MiD DAY, "He ran away after cutting my hair." Dis-tress-ing situation Residents in the area witnessed a similar incident on July 30. The victim of the scissor-happy culprit this time was 10-year-old Dhanshree Dattaram Bargude, a Bhatwadi resident. Dhanshree's mother Deepali said, "When she came running to me, I saw that her hair had been chopped off. I accompanied her to the spot where the bizarre incident had taken place, but found no one. I have heard of similar incidents taking place in this area." In spite of the rather alarming number of times that this peculiar incident has taken place, the residents of the area have not lodged a formal complaint yet, reposing more faith in their own vigilante group instead. When a resident approached social worker Shailesh Mohite for assistance, the latter mobilised a youth group to patrol the area every night, under the aegis of Ganesh Savardekar, a local. "I have heard of more than eight such incidents taking place in the area. The police control room has been intimated, and cops said that they would be keeping an eye on the area. u00a0 The youth group has already interrogated more than 20 suspects. I have full faith in their abilities, and know that they will nab the culprit," said Mohite. Copspeak The police are suspecting that the perpetrator of these unwanted hairstyling feats could be a retarded or perverse individual, or even a tantrik. "I have heard of several such incidents, but no resident has approached us yet, so all we can do is keep a close eye on the area," said C V Zendekar, senior inspector of Ghatkopar police station.

An unidentified man has been lurking in Ghatkopar to accost minor girls and lop off their locks before disappearing; residents have mobilised a youth group to patrol the area and nab the culprit

Hair-raising tale: Mystery man chops off girls' locks

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Hair-raising tale: Mystery man chops off girls' locks

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