Kegalle 'doctor' pinches old woman's jewellery

Kegalle 'doctor' pinches old woman's jewellery

A certain person who physically personified the appearance of a doctor after having robbed a stethoscope of a doctor has eventually duped an aged woman who had come for treatment by taking her into a canteen of the hospital and had pinched all her jewellery last afternoon (1), Kegalle police say.

It incidentally is an old woman aged 78 years living in Kegalle Meepitiya area who thus had to
forego her jewellery, police say. An age-old woman from Kegalle Meepitiya had yesterday (1) has come all by herself to Kegalle hospital to attend the clinic there to take treatment. Police say that this old woman has come to Kegalle hospital in a three-wheeler with the aid of a crutch and has been waiting in the queue, police say. 

On that occasion a certain person has approached the old mother in the queue with a stethoscope round his neck and has spoken over the phone to someone about the aged mother. He had then told her, "Um ... I know this mother well ... have to take an x-ray". So saying he had escorted the elderly mother to ward No. 11 in the hospital. She had been under the impression that this person is a doctor who is known to her children. Having escorted her to ward No. 11 had told her to remove the two gold bangles round her hands, the ring, the necklace , the pendant and the pair of ear-rings and hand them over to a nurse. 

As requested, this aged woman has removed both her bangles and ring and as she was not able to remove the gold necklace from over the head, this person has pulled out the gold necklace and has asked her to take out the ear-rings too. The mother on refusing to remove the pair of ear-rings this person has then taken to his heels with the gold jewellery, police say. 

This aged mother's daughter is living in Dubai and when her mother went there for a period of three months, the daughter has bought and given this new jewellery, she had expressed with tears in her eyes. The stethoscope which this unknown person had brought with him was found fallen on the floor near the mother and it was seen in the hands of this woman, police say. 

Police say that this person who came to fleece this aged woman of her gold jewellery has stolen a stethoscope of a doctor when doctors of out-patients section after treating patients there had come to have a cup of tea, police say. Though CCTV cameras have been installed at Kegalle general hospital, they have been inactive for several years. Kegalle police is conducting inquiries over the incident. 

- Chaminda Jayalath -