Bengaluru: Varamahalakshmi festival shopping turned into a nightmare for an Ayurvedic doctor after thieves targeted her in the crowded KR Market and made away with a 29-gram gold chain worth over Rs 4 lakh.R Karuna Shree, a Basaveshwaranagar resident, left home around 12.30pm Tuesday to buy flowers, fruits, vegetables and other puja essentials. She reached KR Market around 1pm and later went to the ground floor of Sri Krishna Rajendra Market Complex at 1.45pm to buy jasmine flowers.While shopping at a jasmine stall, she suddenly felt someone touch her neck from behind. Startled, she instinctively brought her hands forward and realised something was wrong.“I held my gold chain tightly and turned around to find a few women. As I screamed for help, the women distanced themselves from me,” Karuna told TOI.She continued shopping and went upstairs to buy betel leaves. It was only when she checked her neck again that she realised her 29-gram gold chain was missing. She rushed home and, after discussing the incident with her sister, went to City Market police station and filed a complaint.“I’ve been shopping alone in the market and the Chickpet area for the past 10 years, but this is the first time I’ve become a victim of crime. I preferred KR Market because jasmine flowers are usually not available in other small markets,” she said. The chain also held sentimental value for Karuna. “I bought it by taking tuitions for students after I stopped practising and was in a bad financial state,” she said.A senior police officer said patrolling is challenging because of the crowds. “Thousands of people visit KR Market and Chickpet for shopping; it is difficult for police to even patrol,” the officer said.A case has been registered under BNS Section 303 (theft), and police are trying to identify and nab the culprits.
