72-year-old duped of gold & cash by conmen in Ratlam

Indore: A 72-year-old retired schoolteacher was allegedly duped by conmen who made away with her bag containing gold jewellery, cash and a mobile phone after luring her into a conversation, in Ratlam.

The incident took place on Sunday and was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the area. The footage surfaced on Monday night, helping police piece together the sequence of events.

According to complaint lodged at Station Road police station, Mohini Raichandani, a resident of Mitra Niwas Colony, was on her way to a gurdwara in Shastri Nagar when she was approached by two unidentified men. They struck up a conversation with her and warned her about thieves, allegedly targeting people wearing gold ornaments, in the locality.

The duo then advised the elderly woman to remove her jewellery and keep it safely inside her bag. Trusting their advice, Raichandani removed her gold mangalsutra weighing about one tola and placed it in the bag before continuing towards gurdwara.

Police said that the two men approached her again moments later and convinced her to hand over the bag, assuring her that they would keep it safe and return it later. Believing them, she handed over the bag. The accused fled immediately with the belongings before the victim could realise she had been cheated.

The bag contained gold mangalsutra, a gold patli weighing around one-and-a-half tolas, a keypad mobile phone and about Rs 2,000 in cash. The victim informed her family after returning home and subsequently approached the police.

CCTV footage showed the two suspects meeting two others waiting nearby on motorcycles before fleeing from the area. The riders were wearing helmets, making identification difficult. Investigators suspect all four were involved in the crime.

Station Road police station in-charge Jitendra Singh Jadaun said that teams have been formed to identify the accused and trace their escape route. A case has been registered against unidentified persons.