It wasn’t facial recognition or fingerprints that cracked the jewellery theft case in Bhandup — it was a saree. A distinct nine-yard nauvari saree, traditionally worn by rural women in Maharashtra and draped in a unique style, became the key identifier that led Bhandup police to two seasoned women thieves from Jalna district.

Armed with this visual clue and knowledge of the suspects’ travel patterns, police launched a massive autorickshaw-checking operation, stopping over 150 rickshaws before finally arresting the duo in Mahape, Navi Mumbai.