Telangana Suspects Return ₹7L Worth Stolen Saris to Angul Showroom
HYDERABAD: In a rare turn of events, 24 of 25 saris allegedly stolen from a government-run Boyanika handlooms outlet here were returned by courier, weeks after the theft.
According to a first information report (FIR) at Angul police station, a group of well-dressed women from Telangana visited the showroom on April 11. They examined several saris but bought only a kurta worth ₹1,400. Staff later found 25 saris missing, valued at over ₹7 lakh.
CCTV footage showed the women concealing the saris under their clothes before leaving. Boyanika lodged a complaint the same night and shared the footage with police. The videos circulated widely on social media, prompting a search.
On Saturday, the outlet received a large parcel containing 24 of the stolen saris. “We were pleasantly surprised to find the saris returned,” said store manager Rashmi Ranjita Pattnaik.
A staff member said one of the suspects called to apologise. “The caller, a woman from Telangana, got our number from the kurta purchase bill. She asked us to withdraw the complaint, saying the viral video caused embarrassment in their locality,” the employee said. Staff suspect the return was prompted by fear of arrest.
Police said recovery does not end the case. “Even though they returned the saris, legal action will be taken as per law,” said Prakash Chandra Majhi, inspector-in-charge of Angul police station.
