‘WEDDING GANG’ STRIKES AGAIN IN CITY

In yet another case of organised gangs targeting wedding venues, a 50-year-old woman's bag containing valuables was stolen from a wedding venue at a top club in the city. In the past, well-dressed children of a gang have been found to steal bags from wedding venues. Three of the four CCTV cameras at the wedding hall were obstructed by the decorations, so couldn't capture the culprit. The fourth one near the place of theft had conked off, probably damaged at the time of decoration, club authorities believe. Aggrieved couple Lata and Kamlesh Patel (55) filed a complaint of theft with Anandnagar police on Tuesday night.

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Lata Patel's purse containing valuables worth Rs 1.60 lakh was stolen from YMCA club on December 5. The Patels who live at Kadva Patidar Society in Behrampura had come to attend the wedding ceremony of their niece. According to Kamlesh Patel, "We had purchased a gold chain of 2tolas for the new bride. Lata had kept the chain along with a red Apple iPad, an Apple iPhone, Rs 15,000, original keys of our Godrej locker and a driving licence in her white purse that was stolen." The Patels had arrived around 5.30 pm at the club's Gracia Hall on that day. Some pre-wedding rituals were on.

Later, women took part in the sangeet ritual, while they kept their bags on a sofa close by. "Around 9.30 pm after the dance, my wife found her bag containing the cash and valuables whose total worth is Rs 1.60 lakh missing. We at once contacted Himshikhar Yadav, incharge manager of Green Leaves Management that organized the wedding event," Patel said. Despite confirming that he would call up the Patels the next day (Sunday) and update them about the stolen stuff, he failed to call up, Patel said. "I called him up on Sunday to inform him that the CCTV camera near the place from where the bag was stolen was not working," he said. The Patels approached the club authority who confirmed the CCTV camera was non-functional.

YMCA's Chief Operating Officer Covit Lonie told Mirror, "There are 70 CCTV cameras in our club. There are 4 cameras in Gracia Hall. Wedding decorations obstructed the view of cameras. One of the cameras was perhaps not functioning as it could have been damaged at the time of decorations. "After the theft, we checked the place. We also checked the footage from other cameras, even ones in the basement and main gate, but could not trace the culprit." Anandnagar PI P V Jadeja said, "A complaint was lodged on Tuesday night. We have begun probe and will find out whether the CCTV camera near the sofa was working or not."

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