South Delhi woman held for lifting bags at IHC,police claim several cases solved

A mother of two,Sharma has told the police her family stays on rent at Amar Colony,near Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi.

She has told the police that she graduated from Delhi University in 1991 and married one Mahesh Sharma,a businessman dealing in food articles,the following year. She also studied stenography and computer graphics from YWCA and was employed in several jobs over the years. She worked with a real estate agency in Nehru Place for a while before joining an Okhla-based TV channel to work as a stenographer.

She first went to the IHC this January during a book fair held there. “She told us she loves books and music,” an officer said. Sharma reportedly told the police that she was enticed by the affluence of people who came to different parties hosted at Eatopia and soon began stealing handbags by blending in the crowd.

The police last month got reports about several cases in which handbags were stolen inside IHC — in some cases,an officer said,the missing bags were found later in washrooms,with cash,jewellery,cards and other valuables removed.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) H G S Dhaliwal said after CCTV footage failed to give any lead and security staff at IHC’s entrance points also failed to single out any suspect,the police deployed decoys.

On Tuesday evening,as the birthday party of 4-year-old Safdarjung Enclave resident Parth Makhija was in progress at Eatopia,three guests found their handbags missing,Dhaliwal said. The police and IHC security staff blocked the exit gates and found a woman getting in an auto-rickshaw with three handbags.

“She could not give a satisfactory reply about the three bags she was carrying,” Dhaliwal said. After the owners identified their bags,the police took possession of the bags,he said.

The police found several credit and debit cards,cash,make-up articles,cellphone and such items in the bags recovered from Sharma.

An officer said Sharma is fluent in English and has worked as a freelance translator.

Sharma was booked by Lodhi Colony police.