Eight of a family held for pick pocketing in Mint street
According to the police they started the probe after a 69-year-old woman from Madipakkam, who was retired from a central government job, was relieved of valuables by the same gang in Sowcarpet.
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CHENNAI: A family of eight, including women, from Andhra Pradesh which was involved in pickpocketing people in crowds on Mint Street and busy Sowcarpet and nearby areas was arrested by Elephant Gate police on Thursday.
Police identified the arrested as Vemula Sushila, Samudra Sangeetha, Pitlajammula, Nagamani, Venkatamma, Nageswara Rao, Vemula Sekar and Syed Kaja. They were found to target people in crowds and cut their handbags and take money and ATM cards.
According to the police they started the probe after a 69-year-old woman from Madipakkam, who was retired from a central government job, was relieved of valuables by the same gang in Sowcarpet.
They came for wedding shopping and while returning after having tiffin at a restaurant on Mint Street, the gang had relieved herof her valuables kept in the bag after slashing the bag with a blade, two days back.
In another incident another woman, working a hospital lost at leastRs.12,000 in similar manner.
Based on complaints from victims, police zered in on the suspects with the help of CCTV and arrested the gang members.
Police also noted that they were staying in a lodge in Periamet posing as a family that came from Andhra Pradesh for shopping in Chennai.
Stolen valuables were recovered from them from a lodge.