Representative Image

PUNE: A 40-year-old diabetic woman slumped to the ground on the road near her house at Shivajinagar on Saturday afternoon after her sugar levels dropped. In her daze, she noticed a man standing near her and thought he had come to help her. Instead, the man is suspected of having taken her gold ornaments and bag containing her cellphone and other valuables totally worth Rs 74,500.

The woman was eventually picked up by her husband who found her lying on the ground around 1.15pm. When she realised she had been robbed after gaining consciousness, she went with her husband to lodge a complaint at the Shivajinagar police station .

Police sub-inspector Sagar Kale told TOI that the woman, Vaishali Kadu, lives with her family in an open plot at Shivajinagar. She works as a domestic help in a few houses in the area.

Kale said that Kadu had left for work around 12.45pm on Saturday. "After walking some distance, she started feeling uneasy and soon fainted. The spot where she lay was a little distance away from the main road. Some passers-by noticed her lying on the ground but did not stop to help," he said.

In the complaint, Kadu said she realised in her semiconscious state that a man was standing near her. She initially thought the man had come to help her but soon realised that he was taking off her ornaments.

She also noticed him fleeing with her ornaments and other valuables but was unable to resist or raise an alarm. She said she soon passed out.

Kadu also said in her complaint that she suspects the robber to be a ragpicker as he was carrying a large bag in his hands.

“We have checked CCTV cameras in the area and have noticed a man carrying a bag walking away from the area. We are working on some clues and have launched a search for the man,” Kale.

