Long-haired women in crowded areas have fallen victim to surreptitious hair snippers who steal their hair to sell, the Burmese-language 24/7 news journal reported.

My long hair was cut while I was on my way back from the office. I found out only when I got back home,’ an unidentified female bus commuter was quoted as saying.

The woman said her friend’s tresses were cut while she was walking down the street and she only noticed when some remaining strands fell. Another woman’s hair was cut while she was shopping at a roadside store, the journal said.

Many women in Myanmar have waist- or knee-length hair which they wear in a ponytail, making it easy for thieves to snip off the hair and sell it as extensions.

Women are also approached by hair traders who ask to buy their long hair, the journal quoted the bus commuter as saying.

The report said the price of hair has increased as demand for hair as an export or raw material rises. A viss (1.6 kilograms; 3.5 pounds) of hair is worth between 400,000 kyats (US$320; Ð235) and 500,000 kyats (US$400; Ð290), it said.