In a disturbing repeat of criminal modus operandi, Chandigarh witnessed its second eye-spray robbery within a week when three unidentified miscreants targeted a woman in the Dhanas area, making off with her gold and silver ornaments.
The Terrifying Ordeal
The victim, Manju, who operates a cloth stall in Maloya, had visited Dhanas for work on Thursday morning when the incident occurred. According to her police complaint, three young men began following her near a temple in the area.
One of the assailants approached Manju and initiated conversation, claiming he worked in construction shuttering and was in the area for a job. When Manju questioned why he was sharing this information with her, the man responded that he was visiting an acquaintance's unwell child first.
Before Manju could process the interaction, the suspect sprayed an unknown substance into her eyes, leaving her semi-conscious and disoriented. Despite being able to hear the perpetrators speaking, she couldn't comprehend their actions or resist as they removed her gold earrings and silver ring.
Aftermath and Police Response
When Manju regained full consciousness, she found herself near the Dhanas petrol pump, where a JCB operator came to her assistance. After realizing what had transpired, she narrated the entire incident to him.
As passersby gathered at the scene, police were alerted about the crime. A PCR vehicle arrived and transported Manju to Sarangpur police station, where she formally lodged a complaint about the robbery.
Law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and are currently scanning CCTV footage from the vicinity to identify the three culprits responsible for this brazen daytime crime.
Pattern of Similar Crimes Emerges
This incident marks the second time within just four days that criminals have used this particular method in Chandigarh. In the earlier case, a youth exercising at Sukhna Lake was targeted in a similar fashion, with the accused fleeing with his mobile phone after spraying a substance in his eyes.
The repetition of this criminal technique within such a short timeframe has raised concerns among residents about public safety and prompted police to intensify their efforts to apprehend those responsible for these coordinated attacks.
