Mangalsutra, gold beads found in woman’s stomach after X-ray:MP gang drives to Rajasthan, swallows jewellery after theft

A women’s theft gang has been arrested by Bhilwara police. The gang used to travel from Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan by car to commit thefts. After stealing jewellery, the women would swallow the ornaments to avoid detection. Police officials were also surprised when seven women were arrested and sent for medical examination. During an X-ray, a mangalsutra and gold beads were found in the stomach of one of the women, which doctors later removed. The accused have been identified as Shanu (31), Vratika (20), Barji Bai (52), Basanti (60), Maina (28), Payal (20) and Sapna (32). All of them are residents of different villages in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh. Jewelry was stolen on Sheetala Saptami Even elderly women were involved in the gang and actively took part in the thefts. Kotdi police station in-charge Mahavir Meena said the incident took place on the day of Sheetla Saptami during a Rangotsav programme held at the Charbhuja Temple in Kotdi. A large number of devotees had gathered at the temple for the event. Taking advantage of the crowd, the women from the gang reached the temple and stole gold jewellery from women devotees. Radha Ahir, a resident of Kotdi, filed a complaint at the police station. She said she had gone to attend the temple programme when someone stole her gold mangalsutra and a necklace with six gold beads from her neck in the crowd. When she came out of the temple, both ornaments were missing. Suspicious women spotted during night patrol The station in-charge said CCTV footage was examined after the complaint was registered. During the investigation, police found that the gang was from outside the state. On Wednesday night, during routine patrolling, the police team spotted seven suspicious women moving in a car. The women were detained and questioned, during which they confessed to the theft. All seven women were formally arrested on Thursday evening. Jewellery recovered from stomach after X-ray After their arrest, all the women were taken for medical examination and X-ray tests. During the scan, a suspicious object was detected inside the body of one of the women. Further examination revealed that the woman had swallowed a mangalsutra and a necklace containing six gold beads. The woman, identified as Sapna, was taken to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Bhilwara, where doctors removed the jewellery from her stomach. Women swallowed or hid jewellery after theft During interrogation, the accused told police that they targeted crowded places to carry out thefts. After stealing jewellery, the women would either swallow the ornaments or hide them in their clothes so that they would not be caught during checking. Police said further questioning is being carried out to gather details about other theft incidents linked to the gang.