Mutiple accounts of women dressed in green salwar-kameez, terrorising and exploiting students from across the university have surfaced online in the last couple of days.
The University of Delhi’s (DU) students have become subjects to various disguised scamsters soliciting money from students by terrorising them. A message was shared by a student from Ramjas College which started doing rounds on social media around 26th February, 2019. The message exposed a group of women dressed in green salwar-suit robbing money from the students in North Campus; all in the name of blessing the money with good fortune.
The incident shared by the Ramjas student happened on her way back to the metro station in front of Hansraj Hostel (Kamla Nagar). The student mentioned that first, a woman came to her, dressed as described above. The woman asked the student to give her a rupee or two as she waved a basket at her and claimed that the donated money was to be given at the dargah. The student was followed by the woman who consistently asked for money. After multiple denials by the student, the woman in green reportedly said that she would swear on her Baba that she had no intention to steal her (the student’s) money. The woman insisted that the student’s touching of her money to the basket would yield good fortune.
At this moment, two more women dressed similarly backed the student into a corner and forced her into taking out her money. Anxious and scared, by her own admission, the student took out a ?50 note which was snatched by the three women who pretended to pray for the student, and performed a ritual chant, as if they were blessing the student. Subsequently, the three women snatched a 500 note from her wallet and refused returning the money when asked to do so. Thankfully for the cornered student, another girl passing by observed the problem and came to assist her. However, the three women created an interruption by pushing the other girl away and took off rapidly from the scene. The victim who reported the event was shook after the three women took off.
However in the same message that has been shared by her, the student explores the intensity and terror of the situation. The same gang of scamsters were seen in the vicinity doing similar performances with other chosen vulnerable students. They were spotted around Kirori Mal College, and later near Sudama Tea Stall near Delhi School of Economics. Strangely enough, the attempt to follow the three women to thwart their exploitative targeting of students was reportedly met with obscene curses, ridiculing and insulting her future and family.
After the circulation of the aforementioned account, various students from the North Campus have narrated their own experiences with these women wearing green salwar-kameez. Most of the accounts follow a similar pattern wherein the student, mostly girls, are chosen and cornered by these scamsters who then take off with their money. The possibility of the robbing women carrying weapons has not been corroborated yet but it cannot be ruled out as well. Multiple accounts of North Campus students have exposed the deep concern that this explosive scamming mandates. No action has been taken against the identified thieving women.
However, the dargah women are not exclusive to the North Campus. Various incidents of their terror have been shared by students from Kamala Nehru College. Gargi and Rishita from Kamala Nehru College shared their experience with these women who chased them in Greater Kailash’s M-Block Market, asking for money. When denied, the women hurled abusive curses at the two unsuspecting girls. This rampant exploitation of students in the university at the hands of these women concerns us all. The fearless violations carried out by them in such active areas, in broad daylight, propose questions on the safety of students in the campus.
DU Beat appeals to everyone to stay safe and vigilant in campus until these disguised terror-inspiring women are tried legally.
Feature Image Credits: Akarsh Mathur for DU Beat
Kartik Chauhan
