Fair sex taking to crime for easy money in Ahmedabad

There has been an alarming rise in the number of women found involved in crime in the city. The growth of consumerism and the parallel weakening of the family as an institution have been luring a growing number of women to crime for money.

For instance, the Amraiwadi police, some time back, arrested the person who allegedly tried to help a beautician kidnap her friend's daughter for ransom.

The police said one Nirmal Patel's name had cropped up during investigation, after which his father was interrogated. The father helped the police track down Nirmal.

The police said Nirmal had revealed that the entire abduction conspiracy
was hatched by Sonia Dave and her brother for some easy money.

Another case registered around the same time was that of a woman who had killed her husband to get married to her lover. Ramila Panchal had strangulated her husband after 11 years of marriage, just to get married to her lover from her native place.

The auto-rickshaw gang, also busted around the same time by the Danilimda police, also had a woman member. She was found to be the wife of the driver, the leader of the gang. She travelled with her husband in the rickshaw to lure victims into believing that the auto they were getting into was absolutely safe.
Speaking about the involvement of women in crime, sociologist Gaurang Jani said that the weakening of important social institutions such the family, is to blame for women taking to crime.

"Almost all institutions have failed to cope with changing social values, which seem to have revised the traditional role of man and woman. These changes have affected women more than men, making them more vulnerable. Women now feel more insecure, and this insecurity drives some of them to crime to solve their problems," Jani said.