CHENNAI: The wedding season has arrived and in an attempt to curb thefts in marriage halls, the city police are intensively conducting awareness drives among visitors at wedding halls in the North Zone of the city. Police said that awareness among the families of both brides and grooms has been further intensified, especially at wedding halls in Washermenpet police district, as many cases of theft were reported here last year.Police sources said that there were 75 marriage halls - big and small - in Washermenpet district, the largest number in North Zone of the city, and close to 20 cases of theft were reported here.As part of the awareness drive, a police team comprising a sub-inspector and a head constable visits wedding halls and creates awareness on the various methods the offenders adopt to steal and provides the families of the bride and the groom tips to avoid such thefts. The police can be informed of anyone found suspicious in the hall.“We tell them not go to the toilets alone, to keep the gold jewellery with themselves till they leave the hall and not leave them in the custody of others. Sometimes, families would not know if a person belongs to the bride or the groom’s side and even relatives could be tempted to steal the valuables sometimes,” said a senior police official.Police said both men and women, mostly previous offenders, were involved in thefts and their modus operandi varied accordingly. Women walking towards toilets alone are robbed at knifepoint and then locked up. While women offenders talk to kids and stealthily remove their jewellery, male offenders take kids to their cars after luring them with chocolates and then take away the valuables. At times, they simply walk in to bride’s room and steal the jewels or flick the bag containing cash gifted to the married couple, police added.
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