Marriage season marred by gangs of thieves

Targeting gold and cash from the ceremony

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Marriage ceremonies have become a target for thieves who have been actively looting gold and cash from unsuspecting guests. In the last six days, three wedding ceremonies have been targeted, resulting in the loss of 14 tolas of gold, Rs 4 lakhs in cash, and three mobiles.

These thieves have developed a modus operandi where they act like relatives or guests and blend in easily with the crowd. They then wait for opportune moments to steal jewelry, purses, and bags, often targeting items close to the bride and groom.

The first incident occurred at Harsul's Madhura Lawn, where a thief stole a purse from the stage during Vishnu Kakade's son's wedding. Though they didn't get any gold, they managed to steal two mobiles, two ATM cards, and important documents.

The second incident took place at Surya Lawns on November 27 during the wedding of Sangeeta Rasane's niece. A thief posing as a guest stole a bag containing 4 tolas of gold, 160 grams of silver ornaments, and Rs 3000 in cash.

In the third incident, Deepak Kadambande's niece's purse was stolen at the wedding of his nephew Kunal Shelke at a hotel on Jalna road on December 3. The purse contained almost Rs 3.50 lakh in cash.

The fourth incident occurred at the reception of Jagdish Jaiswal's son at Aurangabad Gymkhana on December 3, where a bag containing 10 tola gold ornaments, one mobile phone, and Rs 5000 cash was stolen from Sunil Jaiswal's wife.

According to police, these thefts are being carried out by gangs from a village in Madhya Pradesh, who train and hire children from Rajasthan to commit the crimes. Despite efforts to track down the gangs, the police have so far been unsuccessful in recovering the stolen jewelry.