As a result of the wide distribution of the CCTV footage of their robbery, the suspects sent back 24 stolen sarees worth about ₹7 lakhs because they got publicly humiliated on the Internet.
In an unusual case of saree robbery in Odisha, suspected criminals who had robbed expensive sarees worth over ₹7 lakhs have quietly surrendered the stolen items after their crime went viral through a CCTV footage clip shared on various social media handles.
The incident happened at the state-owned Boyanika handloom shop located in Angul district. The women in the footage entered the showroom of the boutique on April 11, examined several sarees, but finally, bought only one kurta worth ₹1,400 and left.
However, later on, it became known that 25 costly sarees were stolen during this shopping session. The CCTV camera caught the act of the well-dressed women concealing the sarees under their dresses while they exited the showroom.
Days later, the showroom staff received a large parcel containing 24 of the 25 stolen sarees, carefully packed and returned anonymously.
Store manager Rashmi Ranjita Pattnaik said employees were shocked and relieved to see the stolen sarees returned. According to staff members, one of the suspects later contacted an employee over the phone to apologize and requested that the police complaint be withdrawn.
The caller, believed to be a woman from Telangana, allegedly said the viral videos had caused humiliation and embarrassment in their locality.
Police investigation into the case is still underway.
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