Pickpockets make merry at State�s oldest Kadma Ganesh Puja
Jamshedpur: The devotees of Lord Ganesha feel that the God fulfils the wishes of anyone who comes to his darbar. Impressed by the saying, apart from the general devotees some pickpockets also reach here to try their luck in the festival that is being organised at Ganesh Puja Maidan at Kadma.
A gang of pickpockets made merry on Sunday as a huge crowd of devotees thronged at Ganesh Puja Maidan for attending the festival.
The incident came to the fore when around 17 devotees complaint of missing cash and mobiles from their hand bags. During investigation it was found that a gang of thieves mostly girls had cut the hand bags with blades and decamped with valuables.
As the news spread, a police team nabbed three girls involved in the crime. During the initial investigation, the accused, said that there were more persons present at the puja venue involved in the pickpocket, but they had fled the spot as soon as they were nabbed.
A police officer confirmed that three thieves, mostly young girls were arrested from the venue. He said that the administration had made elaborate arrangement to ensure a peaceful puja, but despite deployment of adequate number of police personnel, the pickpocket had sneaked into the venue.
The police officer said that they would interrogate the criminals who are now in the lock-up and would try to know exactly how many of the devotees fell victim to pickpocket.
Police also caution people against putting mobile phones or other valuables at the venue. Thieves become adept at grabbing them as they walk by, and then running off.
The incidents of pickpocket and chain-snatching do take place whenever there is a religious congregation in the city.
The Ganesh puja
of Kadma is one of the oldest and most revered pujas in
the State. Every year large numbers of devotees visit the place and seek
blessings from lord Ganesha. Priests from Andhra Pradesh
would perform the religious ceremonies.
K J Rao, a senior functionary of puja committee said that a team of volunteers
have been trained, which have been deployed at the strategic locations to help
and guide the devotees. �This is the most popular Ganesh Puja in town and we
have always tried to make it both entertaining and safe. It has been nine
decades now, but its popularity has been increasing every year,� Rao said.
