‘HiFi’ lady, supporting Sarathi baba, arrested for stealing fish in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Fleecing poor fish vendors in the Odisha capital city fish market has cost dear for a so-called high profile woman as Kharavela Nagar police on Friday arrested the lady on charges of stealing fish in the Unit IV fish market here.

The woman was forwarded to court after registering a case against her, said police.

The enigmatic woman has been identified as one Monali Sonalika. She was charged under Sections Sec 341, 324, 294, 506 and 406 of the IPC and forwarded to a local court.

Monalisa, who came in a luxury car, allegedly took fish from a lady fish seller in the market but did not pay her. When the fish seller asked for money, Monalisa allegedly slapped her.

Angry over the behaviour of Monalisa, local fish traders gheraoed the SUV of the lady and did not let it go. To escape the wrath of the fish vendors, Monalisa raised the glass windows and locked herself inside her vehicle. After getting the information about the tension, police reached the spot and rescued Monalisa and took her to the police station.

As per reports, Sonalika used to frequent the Unit-4 based fish market in her posh car and buy fish amounting to over hundreds of rupees and allegedly never paid money. Even she used to turn down taking the cut fish, although bargained and order placed, dubbing it as stale one.

In return, she allegedly used to pick a quarrel with the poor fish vendors threatening them that she is the niece of an ex-DGP (director general of police) or the wife of an IPS officer.

On Friday also she had been to the same Unit-4 fish market in her black Innova car and resorted to her same die-hard antics following which the enraged fish vendors and public held her hostage and alerted the police.

Notably, the lady had created ripples in the media supporting arrested godman Sarathi even amid the statewide hullaballoo against the controversial figure then.