Washim, Oct 14 — Four women were arrested for stealing gold jewellery worth Rs 1.5 lakh and cash amounting to Rs 28,000 from a 70-year-old woman travelling on a state transport (ST) bus in Maharashtra's Washim district, police said on Wednesday.
The police recovered the stolen jewellery and cash and returned them to the elderly woman, identified as Chandrakala Bodkhe.
The incident took place on an ST bus travelling from Mangrulpir to Akola. According to preliminary information, the four accused allegedly targeted the elderly passenger's bag containing gold jewellery and cash during the journey.
When the bus reached Shelu Bazaar, the four women got off. Other passengers became suspicious, following which Bodkhe checked her bag and discovered that her gold jewellery and a bag containing Rs 28,000 in cash were missing.
The elderly woman raised an alarm and sought help from other passengers.
Upon receiving information about the incident, local police reached the spot and launched an investigation. During the probe, the police learnt that the four women had left the area in an auto-rickshaw.
Acting swiftly, the police pursued the suspects and apprehended all four women. The stolen gold jewellery and cash were recovered from their possession and subsequently handed back to the elderly woman.
The incident highlights the need for vigilance among passengers travelling on crowded public transport, particularly elderly commuters carrying valuables.
In a separate incident, Pune Police had arrested three men from Haryana in connection with nine theft cases reported in the city. The police seized valuables worth approximately Rs 23 lakh following an investigation that involved travelling nearly 4,600 km across several states.
According to the police, the accused had targeted people at crowded locations during Ganeshotsav celebrations and Ganesh immersion processions.
The cases were investigated by Vishrambaug Police, who identified the suspects as residents of Palwal in Haryana. Meanwhile, the Aravalli Police in Gujarat had arrested the three men in connection with another case.
With the assistance of the Gujarat Police, a team from Pune Police took the accused into custody. They were identified as Ajay Samsher Vinodkumar Rupsingh Koli (20), Aman Samsher Anil Kumar Narayansingh Koli (24) and Deepak Samsher Rajubhai Sapsingh (21).