Woman robbed by snake charmers withdraws complaint

Ghaziabad, July 21 (IANS) In a bizarre twist, a woman who was robbed of her gold ornaments by a trio of snake charmers in Ghaziabad withdrew her police complaint Monday after she got her valuables back, police said.

"What we can do if a complainant is not inclined to proceed with her case? Our officers nabbed the snake charmers from Delhi. When we asked the victim to formalise the complaint, she refused to go ahead and just asked for her ornaments. So we did it and let off the criminals," said Indirapuram police inspector Rashid Ali.

The three snake charmers Saturday looted the woman of her ring and other gold ornaments here after frightening her with a snake, police said.

The incident took place in Windsor market at Shipra Sun City in Indirapuram.

The woman works as a manager at a retail store and was going to office, when a snake charmer approached her and showed her a snake from his basket.

The snake charmer waved the snake near her face and demanded her ring. His two accomplices arrived at the spot and gagged the woman's mouth. One of them took away the other ornaments she was wearing, and all three fled the spot, police said.

The driver of the auto-rickshaw, in which the woman had come to the market, informed police that the snake charmers called an accomplice - by the name of Rajesh - over phone and planned to go to his place in Mayur Vihar.

Police raided the place and nabbed Rajesh and recovered the woman's ring. The other two accused are absconding.