A year after her first robbery,woman lands in jail

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) Jawed Shamim said Das would pose as masseuse and closely

observe the routine of elderly women.

She carefully chose her victims on the basis of several factors such as their single status and ailments usually associated with advanced age involving joint and muscular pain.

“She would befriend these women usually at the marketplace and offer her services as a masseuse. After a few days of administering massage,she would convince her victims to drink what she called an herbal extract for pain relief,” said Shamim,

“Our investigation team found that this extract was made from datura seeds which would render her victims unconscious. She would then take away all the valuables she could find in the house,” he added.

Her first recorded crime was on April 24,2008. She had drugged one Sushma Neogi (76) and Uma Banerjee (71) — two widowed sisters who were staying together at 106/1A Manoharpukur Road.

“She found out that the women were staying alone and befriended them before drugging them. Both were taken to the hospital. While Banerjee survived,Neogi died. She stole 1 kg of silverware and gold ornaments,” Shamim said.

She struck again more than a year later on June 6 this year. This time,the victim was Amala Roy of Cornfield Road.

Das posed as the daughter of a long-serving household help of Roy who had recently quit.

“She named herself as Geeta and said she would administer massage for Roy’s knee pain. The same modus-operandi was followed and Roy landed up unconscious at Repose Nursing Home while Das decamped with gold ornaments,” said Shamim.

On June 19,Pushpa Roy (78) of 22/B Sardar Shankar Roy Road was her next target.

This time,Das’s overtures did not get much response from Pushpa,so Das changed her modus operandi slightly.

“She came to the victim’s residence one day and gave her prasad laced with the datura extract. When Roy expired,she stole gold ornaments and Rs 2,000 in cash,” Shamim said.

Convinced it was the same person who was operating,the police circulated her sketch to all the police stations.

In the Sonarpur police station area,the police got a lead from auto-drivers that a woman matching Das’ sketch was hiring an auto-rickshaw for herself to travel from Sonarpur to her residence in Garia.

She was arrested from there and three gold necklaces,10 gold bangles,one gold ring and some silverware were recovered.

“We believe there’s a lot more that we haven’t found as yet. Initial interrogation revealed that she has worked as a domestic help and nurse in the past. She was produced in court and remanded in police custody,” he added.