Demand for hair extensions are high. (Asterisco, Stock.XCHNG)
Venezuelan women's hair is in such high demand, it's being stolen right off their heads.
A local gang is targeting women with long hair, and chopping it off at gunpoint to sell for huge sums as hair extensions, according to international reports.
The targets are happening in Maracaibo, Venezuela's second largest city.
Robbers operate by holding their victims at gunpoint and ordering them to tie their hair into a ponytail, before removing it with a razor blade, according to the Telegraph.
The news tickled South Africans as it starting spreading on Women's Day.
"So this is happening… ‘Gang in Venezuela holding women at gunpoint to steal their hair’ Happy Women's Day!" tweeted local writer Mvelase Peppetta.
Others started talking about “conflict weaves” and the like. “Gangs snatching weaves in Venezuela? Blood weaves?” tweeted columnist Sibongile Mafu, while another writer TO Molefe tweeted: "Don't do this. Not today #conflict"
Peppetta later tweeted: "How can you be fabulous if your weave was unethically harvested by gangs from terrified Venezuelan woman held at gunpoint for their hair?"
Venezuela is known for its beauty queens and plastic surgery, and high quality hair extensions are in demand.
Hair stylist Israel Rodriguez told one outlet, Caracol, that synthetic hair costs anywhere from $40 to $160, depending on its quality. But natural hair can cost more than $500.
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The country already has one of the world's highest murder rates, and the hair-cutting racket poses yet another threat.
Mariana Rodriguez told state television channel Globovision that she was walking through a popular mall when she saw two women coming towards her.
"I thought they were going to steal my cellphone, because I had it in my hand at the time, but they took out scissors," she said. "They did not give me a chance to think or to run or anything. And when I looked, I no longer had any hair."
"The demand for hair extensions has risen by 30% since the crimes started", beauty salon owner Jhonatan Morales told Globovision.
Authorities are taking steps to deal with the new crime phenomenon. Jairo Ramirez, Zulia state's security secretary, told Panorama newspaper that authorities have stepped up patrols after hearing about the reported thefts, but they haven't received any formal complaints.