Police hunt for highway gang that robbed man posing as women

JAIPUR: The Jaipur police are looking for a gang, which robbed and assaulted a man after posing as women at a dimly-lit stretch of a highway on the city’s outskirts , officials said on Saturday.

The man, Umrao Pareek (33), manager of a plywood shop, said the robbers targeted him on Tuesday night when he stopped his car on his way back home near a secluded bypass as he saw a person, who appeared to be a woman, seeking help

“As soon as I stopped, at least a dozen other men posing as women smashed the windows of my car and pelted me with stones. They also snatched my gold chain and looted ₹7,000 cash,” Pareek said.

Police registered a case against the gang under the Indian Penal Code’s sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 379 (theft).

A police officer said they have stepped up night patrolling. “...men dressed in women’s attire have robbed someone. We are trying to retrieve the footage from CCTVS of the nearby areas,” said the officer.

Pareek said the gang members were ruthless and repeatedly hit him,” They hit me before taking away my cash and gold chain. I could not seek help from anywhere because it was a desolate stretch of the highway.”

Pareek added he tried to resist. “Next day when I was passing through the same area, I spotted the same suspects... I quickly alerted the police about it. It is unsafe now to pass through the same highway as the gang has many members and can overpower anyone.”

Police officials said that they are monitoring the case and looking for suspects based on descriptions provided by Pareek.