In a small village located in Dhandhuka taluka of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, a dispute revolving around stolen undergarments escalated into a violent clash between two groups belonging to the same caste.
The incident occurred on June 27, 2023, in Pachchham village in Gujarat, when a 30-year-old woman accused her 31-year-old neighbour of repeatedly pilfering her intimate apparel over an astonishing span of eight months.
According to a police officer from Dhandhuka, “The woman became increasingly perplexed as her underclothes would mysteriously vanish from the clothesline where she had hung them to dry. This persisted for eight months.”
Growing frustrated, she devised a covert plan using a mobile phone to capture the elusive thief in the act, using the phone as a spy camera. Finally, the incriminating footage unveiled the truth.
Upon reviewing the footage on June 26, she discovered that a man in her neighbourhood was stealing her undergarments. The following day, she discreetly kept a close eye on the man and witnessed him snatching her undergarments with her own eyes. After that she followed him discreetly and stumbled upon a collection of pilfered intimates, said a police officer.
Following this, she confronted the man, resulting in an altercation. Reportedly, the enraged man not only molested but also assaulted the woman.
Her desperate cries for assistance summoned her family members armed with sticks to the scene. “They retaliated by attacking the man and his relatives. Subsequently, the man’s kin launched a counterattack against the woman’s family,” added the officer.
Inspector PN Zinzuwadia from Dhandhuka police stated that approximately ten individuals sustained injuries during the commotion. Furthermore, a total of 20 people from both sides were arrested.
“We have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the woman’s relatives for charges of rioting and assault, and another FIR against the man and nine of his relatives for charges of molestation, assault, and rioting,” disclosed the inspector.