New Delhi: Three Peruvian nationals,
including a 71-year-old man and a middle-aged woman, were
arrested for allegedly stealing handbags of foreigners in
five-star hotels in the national capital, police said on Wednesday.
The arrested were identified as Vicnta Montotyo Chipana
(71), Francisco Cordoya Jaime (45) and a 51-year-old woman
Falicita Infs Iparraguirre Aliaga, Deputy Commissioner of
Police (New Delhi) Shankar Dass said.
They were apprehended following investigations into a
complaint filed by an Indonesian woman Henny Soelistyowati on
February who claimed that her handbag was stolen while she was
having breakfast in a restaurant in Taj Mansingh Hotel.
The Peruvians used a unique modus operandi. They used
to go to five-star hotels during breakfast time with big bags
in their hands.
"They will identify a woman having breakfast in a
restaurant keeping aside her hand bag. Then two of them will
cover the CCTV camera and one person will put his jacket on
the hand bag and on the pretext of taking it back, he will
take hand bag," Dass said.
After walking some distance, the person who lifted the
bag, would put the stolen item inside the bag he is carrying
along with the jacket. All the three would come out of the
hotel separately, Dass said.
On how they were arrested, Dass said, CCTV footage were
taken and two-three persons were identified as suspects and
their photographs were circulated to security staff of
five-star hotels in Delhi.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 19:02