Vadodara: The crime branch on Monday arrested two men for allegedly duping a senior citizen and stealing her gold ornaments in the city. The theft took place in Raopura on Sunday when the woman was walking on the roadside.The prime accused, identified as Sadaqhassan Din Mohammed, approached the elderly woman and struck a conversation with her. He then told the woman that her son will face trouble and the only way to avert it is to take a ‘darshan‘ of Goddess Laxmi. He added that he will help her get ‘darshan‘ only if she hands over her gold bangles and gold ring.When the unsuspecting woman handed over her gold ornaments, he asked her to walk for some distance and return. When she turned her back, Sadaqhassan escaped from the spot with his accomplice Ilyas Mohammed Hakeem. A complaint was filed at Raopura police station following which cops began a search for the accused.The crime branch sleuths soon received a tip-off about two men moving around near Ajwa Crossroads on a motorbike that didn’t have a licence plate. They intercepted the duo and asked for the motorbike’s documents but the accused couldn’t produce it. The cops then checked their bag and found the stolen gold ornaments and some cash. The accused, both residents of Uttarakhand, admitted having stolen the ornaments.Police said that the accused used to target senior citizens and engage them in conversation in isolated areas. They used to scare the unsuspecting victims by claiming that their family members would face trouble in future if they don’t do certain rituals and then steal their ornaments. The duo had earlier travelled to flood-hit Surat but later moved to Vadodara to commit the crime.
