Recurring instances of conmen posing as police personnel and cheating gullible residents by diverting their attention here have prompted the city police to chalk out a plan of action.
A special police team has been set up to nab these conmen in the wake of a series of such instances reported recently in the city limits. Apart from forming teams with the specific task of apprehending the gang operating with this modus operandi, the City Police have cautioned residents to remain vigilant against such tricksters.
Sources said the tricksters had been targeting aged women walking alone at a secluded spot when there were very little movements. Majority of these offences had been reported during day time with culprits carefully choosing their “target” and striking at the opportune time.
The modus operandi of such conmen was to follow gullible residents especially aged women while they were walking alone and claim themselves to be law enforcers.
Under the guise of showing concern, the conmen would persuade the gullible woman to keep the jewels they were wearing in a safe manner.
They would volunteer to wrap the valuables in a piece of paper.
Upon getting valuables from the woman, the culprits would divert the attention of the woman in a flash and hand over to her another similar pack and vanish with the booty.
Only upon reaching home, the woman would realise that she had been cheated as the pack given to her by the tricksters contained small stones instead of valuables. A couple of such offences committed by conmen were reported at Kondayampettai Agraharam in Tiruvanaikoil and K.K. Nagar recently. In both cases, the victims were aged women. Similar offences have been reported in Cantonment, Woraiyur and E.Pudur areas also.
Despite booking of such cases under IPC Section 420 (cheating), the police were yet to apprehend these conmen.
The gang appeared like north Indians, police say based on the description given by the affected victims. Photographs of criminals indulging in similar type offences and caught at Chennai have been shown to the affected victims to determine if any of them was involved in such crimes in the city, says a police officer.
In a press release, the City Police said a special team was on the job of going after these criminals
