Sulthan Bathery: The Wayanad police have arrested two women in connection with a series of chain-snatching incidents reported across the district in recent days, including at busy transit hubs and on Priyadarshini KSRTC bus services.

Police arrested the two women after they were allegedly caught trying to flee a fancy shop in Meenangadi after stealing lipsticks and other cosmetic items. The shopkeeper alerted the police, following which officers rushed to the spot and took the two women into custody.

The arrests came days after the police issued a lookout notice for six women suspected of involvement in four chain-snatching incidents reported at different places in the district. Cases were registered within the limits of the Tirunelli, Ambalavayal and Kambalakkad police stations.

According to the police, the arrested women have been identified as Kannaki alias Archana alias Remya, 30, a native of Alanganoor, Madurai, and Easwary, 47, a native of Thirupparankundram, Madurai.

Sulthan Bathery Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Abdul Karim told Onmanorama that the police had gathered evidence during questioning that allegedly linked the two women to a chain-snatching incident at Ayiramkolly, under the Ambalavayal police station limits. The two women have criminal records, and a warrant had been issued against one of them in connection with a case registered in Kozhikode district. Police also found that the addresses the women provided were allegedly false. They reportedly used different names when they were taken into custody in connection with incidents reported under different police station limits.

The police said three chain-snatching incidents had been reported in the district in the past few days.

During the Karkkidaka Vavubali rituals at Tirunelli, a 14-gram gold chain, weighing approximately 1.75 sovereigns, was allegedly stolen from an 80-year-old woman at a food-distribution counter. In another incident on August 13, a 71-year-old woman travelling by autorickshaw from Kolagappara to Ayiramkolly, near Ambalavayal, was allegedly robbed of a two-sovereign gold chain.

Police said they had gathered evidence indicating the possible involvement of the two arrested women in the Kolagappara incident as well. Investigators are examining whether the same gang was behind the recent chain-snatching incidents reported at different locations in the district. They suspect that the arrested women were part of a larger gang comprising at least six women, with four others still at large. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and other evidence to identify the remaining suspects and establish their role in the incidents.

The recent incidents have caused concern among commuters, particularly elderly women travelling on public transport and those attending crowded religious and public events. The police have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities immediately.