"Pawar told the woman that a businessman down the lane was distributing sarees to needy women and that she could also get one. He told her that she would have to look poor to get the saree. Chaure then told her to remove her gold ornaments and hand them over for safekeeping.

The duo told her that they would take care of the jewellery till she returned after taking a saree," said an officer. As Pawar and Chaure were trying to dupe the woman, two policemen on patrol duty saw them and sensing something fishy, they stopped to find out what was happening.

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Scared, Pawar and Chaure fled the scene but were chased by the policemen, who caught the duo just 500 metres away. During investigation and questioning, the police found that they had committed similar crimes in the past and they always targetted senior citizens.

"When we checked the history of the accused, we found that 11 similar cases were registered against them at several police stations across city. We have taken them into custody and have begun investigation into the case," said another officer.

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