Mysuru: A 53-year-old farmer woman was attacked and partially robbed of her gold mangalya chain by bike-borne miscreants on the Ayarahalli-Hadinaru Main Road in the taluk on Monday afternoon.
The victim, Puttathayamma, wife of Ranganaika and a resident of Ayarahalli, was carrying lunch to her husband working in the agricultural field when the incident occurred. The miscreants, after threatening her with a knife, managed to snatch part of her 26-gram mangalya chain before fleeing.
According to the complaint filed at Varuna Police Station, two men on a motorcycle approached her from behind. After briefly removing their helmets — leading Puttathayamma to believe they might be relatives — they rode ahead, only to circle back and block her path.
As she resumed walking towards the fields, one of the miscreants followed her and attempted to snatch the chain. Though she resisted and screamed for help, the assailant forcefully pulled the chain, breaking it into two.
Alarmed by her continued cries, the miscreant flashed a knife to threaten her before fleeing with his accomplice towards Hadinaru.
Puttathayamma rushed to the field and informed her husband. The couple attempted to chase the culprits but were unsuccessful. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
Target rural women
Once largely confined to urban areas, chain-snatchers are now increasingly targeting women in rural locations.
Last week, in a similar incident at Kalluru Naganahalli in Yelwal hobli, two miscreants posing as pet dog searchers snatched a 37-gram gold mangalya chain worth Rs. 3.2 lakh from a farmer woman named Kumari, who was returning home with her cattle.
In another case, Venkatamma, who was working in a field adjacent to the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway, was attacked. She lost her 37-gram mangalya chain and 10-gram gold earrings worth a total of Rs. 4.5 lakh and sustained injuries when the earrings were violently pulled off.
A few months ago, miscreants in a car snatched a gold chain from a woman near Kote Hundi village on H.D. Kote Road. A similar incident had occurred near Yelwal as well.
Call for CCTV surveillance in villages
While CCTV cameras have become common in urban settings, many rural residents with the means are now installing them in their homes, agricultural fields, and farms.
Given the difficulty in deploying Police personnel in every village, citizens and officials alike are urging the Police Department to consider installing surveillance cameras along inter-village roads as a deterrent against such crimes.
This post was published on June 25, 2025 6:31 pm