Pune: Wakad police have arrested a 55-year-old woman and her accomplice (48) for stealing gold jewellery worth Rs 6.4 lakh from a jewellery showroom at Bhumkar Chowk on two occasions in the past seven months.A police team led by senior inspector Vitthal Salunkhe arrested the duo on Thursday after examining CCTV footage from Bhumkar Chowk to Mundhwa. Police have recovered all the stolen jewellery from them.Assistant inspector Shriniwas Darade of the Wakad police told TOI that the woman and her accomplice visited the showroom on April 19, on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya, under the pretext of purchasing a mangalsutra.“Customer footfall at the showroom was high on Akshay Tritiya. The duo took advantage of the rush and stole a mangalsutra worth Rs 1.8 lakh by diverting the saleswoman’s attention,” Darade said.The showroom manager lodged a complaint on April 24, the officer said. On the occasion of Dasara, the duo again visited the same showroom and stole gold jewellery worth Rs 4.5 lakh using the same modus operandi.“We examined the showroom’s CCTV footage and confirmed that the same woman and man were involved in the theft in April as well,” the officer said.The police team traced the duo to Keshavnagar and identified them. However, they fled to a neighbouring state. “We laid a trap and took them into custody when they returned to Mundhwa,” he said.Darade said police have registered similar cases against the woman and the man in Pune, Solapur and Mumbai. “Our investigation is under way,” Darade said.
