Lucknow: Jewellers in Jhansi’s Sipri Bazaar have implemented an unusual policy to curb thefts at their stores by barring entry to any customers who arrive with their faces covered—whether wearing masks, burqas or ghunghats.
Under the directive issued by the local jewellery association, shopkeepers will refuse to display or sell ornaments to any customer, man or woman, whose face is covered. The decision is applicable in the Sipri Bazaar jewellery market in Jhansi.
Posters have been placed inside and outside shops, saying: “Customers are requested to please keep their faces uncovered while shopping inside the store.”
The jewellers’ association attributes the policy to rising thefts that have coincided with soaring gold and silver prices. They claim that face coverings have rendered CCTV footage useless for identifying suspects.
“Women, along with men, are involved in these thefts. Due to face coverings, suspects cannot be identified even through CCTV footage. Although the incident gets recorded, identification becomes impossible,” Uday Soni, president of the Sipri Bazaar Jewellers Association, said Monday.
There are around 50 shops at the Sipri market.
But Jhansi police distanced themselves from the decision and disputed jewellers’ claims of rising theft incidents.
Laxmikant Gautam, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Jhansi city), told ThePrint: “This is a decision taken by the jewellers’ association, and the police have no role in it. There is a perception that theft incidents have increased over the past few months, but that is factually incorrect.”
On Monday, Soni said there have been several thefts involving women with covered faces in recent months. “In many cases, even after police apprehend suspects, shop owners fail to recognise them,” he said.
Soni added that men wearing masks have also been involved in such incidents. “To curb these thefts, the jewellers association held a meeting and unanimously decided that jewellery would not be sold to any masked customer,” he said.
Explaining the broader business context, Soni said: “Currently, gold and silver prices are already very high, and we are facing a shortage of customers. At the same time, several theft incidents have taken place in Jhansi. This prompted us to come together and frame guidelines to prevent theft. People may agree or disagree with the decision, but we had to find a solution for our business. Our move is not against any religious identity.”
Local traders claim they placed the posters following permission from police. Another jeweller, Mamta Gupta, said: “For security reasons, we have put up notices. Jewellery will not be shown to any man or woman who enters the shop with their face covered.”
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
Also Read: Silver beats gold: Behind global price surge of devil’s metal & how much India uses, produces & buys