3 cabbies held for chain-snatchings

Rs 24L worth loot recovered

Three cab drivers who stole gold chains from women were arrested and 18 cases were solved as a result. The Mahalakshmi Layout police have recovered property worth Rs 24 lakh, a release said on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Pradeep K D, Purushotham and Prajwal L, all residents of Kengeri and aged about 25 years. One more member of the gang is absconding, police said. Purushotham was the driver of a retired IAS officer.

The gang used a Ritz car to steal chains, targetting women and senior citizens in the north and western parts of the city. They spent their loot lavishly.

With these arrests, the police claimed to have solved 18 cases reported in the limits of Mahalakshmi Layout, Annapoorneshwari Nagar, Bidadi, Jnanabharathi, Vijayanagar, Magadi Road, Kengeri, Hebbal and Nandini Layout police stations.

“Gold ornaments weighing 700 grams, one Maruti Ritz car, one Bajaj Pulsar bike, two mobile phones - all worth Rs 27.34 lakh - have been recovered,” a police officer said.

In another case, the Koramangala police arrested two persons for allegedly robbing software engineers and snatching their chains at night. The accused - Wasim Khan (20) and Sadiq (24), residents of Shamanna Garden.

They targetted techies near Koramangala, Parappana Agrahara, JP Nagar, Tilak Nagar and HSR Layout areas. The arrests led to recovery of four gold chains, one mobile and one 2-wheeler, all worth Rs 5 lakh, the police said.