Hair Robbery Attack In Ottawa Resembles Growing Crime Trend In Venezuela

We had reported a few months ago about a growing trend in terms of robbery in Venezuela: hair theft. This scary practice has been frightening women with long hair in the Latin America country for quite some time now. A group called "Pirañas" (piranhas) has been holding women up at gunpoint at malls and forcing them to tie their hair into a ponytail, making it easier for them to cut it off. The hair is then sold to beauty salons to be made into hair extensions. And it's not just any hair they seek -- the group has a preference for straight hair.

Once they get the hair they want, they sell it in the black market for a substantial amount of money, and most likely, the hair will become hair extensions or wigs, which have become extremely popular in past years. The price of hair extensions varies by the quality of the hair, with natural hair costing significantly more money than artificial hair. The prices vary based depending on hair type, fiber and hair color. Due to the demand, hair dressers are willing to shell out big bucks to score natural straight hair.

Apparently, the new trend of cutting off girls' ponytails has reached Canada. A new report suggests Dani Bone-Corbishley, a woman from Ottawa, was attacked in broad daylight and left in shock after her assailant cut off her hair and fled the scene, locks in hand. Ottawa Police Const. Marc Soucy said that in 25 years of working with the force, he's never seen a bizarre case like this. Although police are uncertain of the motive, they are aware about the new way of assault and robbery, and are keeping it in mind for future investigation.

The suspect was described as a white male about 6 feet tall with a thin build and wearing a dark jacket, tuque and blue jeans. He's still on the loose. Unfortunately, this crime trend has also been reported in other countries of Latin America, and authorities suggest women not to pull up their hair in ponytails, since it will make it easier for attackers, but to put it up in a bun or hide it underneath a hat.

RELATED: Venezuela Hair Robbery: Group Called 'Piranhas' Are Stealing Hair To Sell At Salons As Hair Extensions