New Delhi: Four persons, including three women, have been arrested for allegedly gate-crashing weddings dressed as guests and then stealing cash and valuables on Monday.
It was the fourth gang arrested in the last two months by the Delhi police that target weddings for stealing valuables.
The gang of gate-crashing female thieves, assisted by an auto driver who used to drive them to the venues, have committed more than 100 thefts from marriage venues located in Delhi, Gurugram, and Noida, said joint commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Yadav.
A team of inter-state cell of crime branch analysed all available video footage and deployed sources at various banquet halls, farmhouses, etc. to gather clues about the accused, he said.
“In all the cases, it was seen that women committing the theft took all precautions so that they weren’t captured on the CCTV cameras. They avoided cameras, photographers, and videographers,” said Mr Yadav.
They usually took advantage of the confusion prevailing over whether they were from the girl’s side or the boy’s side.
“They spent considerable time at the venues and made themselves familiar and comfortable. They dressed themselves in wedding finery and mingled with the crowd and gradually gained proximity to the families and targeted the person who was keeping the bag containing the shagun envelopes,” said Mr Yadav.
The accused — auto driver Satish Yadav, Rano, Varsha, and Manisha — were nabbed from Ashok Vihar area today morning while they were fleeing after committing a theft at a marriage function there.
The accused women belong to Gulkheri village in Rajgarh district of MP and it has been found that there are gangs from the village that indulge in thefts at weddings. It has also been found that in case a gang member spill the beans on the other members of the gang to the police, they have to pay a hefty fine of Rs 10 lakh to the village headman, said another officer.
The police might be visiting the village to learn more details about the gang since the accused haven’t opened up much.
The three women have been arrested previously in similar cases.
