Latur, March 5 Police in Latur, Maharashtra, have arrested a woman for allegedly stealing gold ornaments from bus stops in the district, officials said on Thursday.
The local police's crime branch, which made the arrest, also recovered some stolen gold jewelry from her.
This action has led to the detection of several theft cases reported from bus stops in Ausa, Shirur Tajband, and Ahmedpur, a police official said.
The accused targeted female passengers by taking advantage of the rush while boarding buses, he said.
Acting on specific information, the crime branch team intensified surveillance. On March 4, the police received a tip-off that two women were behaving suspiciously near passengers boarding buses near the new bus stand at Renapur Naka in Latur. After verifying the information, the team rushed to the spot and set up a trap, he said.
During the operation, one woman, identified as Poonam Jitu Kamble (34), was apprehended. A search conducted by a female police constable led to the recovery of a gold mangalsutra and a gold chain, weighing around 13.390 grams, collectively valued at Rs 78,951, the official said.
During her interrogation, Kamble confessed that she and another woman had been stealing gold ornaments from female passengers at bus stops over the past several months, he added.