Gangs of scissor-wielding hair thieves known as piranhas are attacking women in the coastal city of Maracaibo in Venezuela.
Local Egmari Villarreal says, "You have to see it to believe it. We're not going to be able to have long hair anymore. As a woman, this is something traumatic."
Authorities have recently noticed an increase in the number of attacks against women. The common denominator is all of the victims had long hair.
"It's happening downtown, at the beach or the mall, where you find a lot of young women," local Sarai Madrid says.
"The thieves grab them by the hair, pull out some scissors, and cut it. They then sell it at beauty or hair salons."
In Venezuela, the hair thieves are called piranhas just like the meat-eating fish found in South American rivers.
