After a lull for nearly three months, two con men posing as cops duped two elderly women in the City, struck again on Thursday.
Senior police officials suspect the duo struck twice — near Prasanna Theatre, Magadi Road, and then at Ejipura — within an hour-and-a-half of the first incident.
Rajamma, 62, a resident of Rajajinagar VI Block, was on her morning walk opposite Prasanna theatre at around 7:45 am, when a person hailed her from behind and introduced himself as a police officer.
In her complaint to the police, she said the man told her a teacher had been murdered for gain in the next street, and reprimanded her for wearing gold jewellery. He then took her to another man standing next to a jeep and introduced him as a police inspector.
The “inspector” convinced her to remove her ornaments and hand it over to them. As advised, Rajamma removed her two gold bangles and a gold chain, all weighing about 80 gram, and gave it to them. They wrapped it in a piece of paper and put it in Rajamma’s handbag. However, when she checked her bag a few minutes later, she found a stone in the packet, instead of her jewellery. Realising she had been duped, she lodged a complaint with Magadi Road police.
Within an hour-and-a-half of this incident, police suspect the same gang struck again, this time in Ejipura.
Shanthakumari, 76, a resident of 20th Cross, Ejipura, was returning home after buying eatables from a nearby restaurant at around 9:30 am. In her complaint to the Vivek Nagar police, she has stated that a man approached her and said there was a chain-snatching incident in the next street early morning, and admonished her for wearing gold ornaments.
He then took her to his “senior officer,” and the two convinced her to remove her jewellery. The duo took her 56-gram gold chain, wrapped it in a piece of paper, and put it in the bag in which she was carrying eatables. However, when she checked it minutes later, she found a stone. Vivek Nagar police have registered a case.
