A child was caught stealing on camera at a restaurant in Navi Mumbai, the women accompanying him keep the attendants engaged.
Highlights
- 3 women kept the attendants engaged, while a little girl stole the cash
- Four similar thefts have taken place in the area
- Two of the women arrested, girls placed in a home for juveniles
A little girl stealing a wad of cash from a locked drawer in a restaurant, while three women keep the shopkeeper engaged. That was what CCTV cameras recorded at a shop in Navi Mumbai last week, to the shock of the shop owners and the police.
It seemed the modus operandi of the group -- three women and two little girls. Similar thefts have been recorded at four other shops in the area.
The theft appeared to be well planned. The women, their heads covered in blue dupattas, walk into the shop, accompanied by two little girls.
As they walk ahead and engage the attendants, one of the girls dart behind the counter and tries to open what later turns out to be the cash drawer. The drawer appears locked and she swiftly opens the next one and digs around till she finds the key.
The women meanwhile keep the attendants talking, one of them holding apart her dupatta to screen the girl behind her.
The child, meanwhile opens the first drawer, takes out a bunch of banknotes and slips it into a bag. She then gets out from behind the counter and the group leaves.
"After they left, I calculated and realised that the amount (in the drawer) was less. I checked the CCTV camera and found out that I lost Rs 20,500," said Priyanka, the manager whose store was robbed.
On basis of the footage, the police have arrested two women from outside the Sewari railway station. The third is still on the run. The two girls have also been caught and put in a juvenile home.
The police also said they recovered around Rs. 9,000 from the group. A search is on for the rest of the Rs. 30,000 they allegedly stole.