Mid-Day

Mumbai, Apr 7: Ratna Kankeshwar (44) was arrested on Tuesday by the Gamdevi police and charged with stealing customers’ handbags from boutiques, temples and other public places, by posing as a customer.

On April 3, the close circuit television (CCTV) at Cymroza Art Gallery on Bhulabhai Desai Road caught Kankeshwar moving suspiciously in the gallery.

She left the place with a black handbag containing valuables over Rs 9,000, both belonging to the complainant Bijal Kadakiya (29).

When Kankeshwar visited the gallery again, staffers alerted the police who arrested her on the basis of the CCTV footage. After Inspector Shyam Paulekar interrogated Kankeshwar, her involvement in two more cases of theft came to light.

Kankeshwar had allegedly bought women’s clothes worth Rs 35,000 from a boutique in Altamount Road using a stolen card. Kankeshwar also unsuccessfully tried to use the same card at a jewellery shop in Zaveri Bazaar.

As she hurriedly left the shop, the jeweller managed to capture her photo on his camera phone, which he handed over to the police.

Said Deputy Commissioner of Police Pratap Dhigavkar, “Preliminary enquires have revealed that she was stealing for personal gain. We are sure more such cases will come to light as we proceed.”

Kankeshwar has been booked for theft and has been sent to police custody till April 7 by the Girgaum court.