JOIN USAchuth Kumar Gani knew every trick in the book. The 31-year-old was Bengaluru’s undisputed king of chain-snatching. On Monday, he ran out of luck. And tricks.
The Jnanabharathi police put an end to Gani’s notorious run, as they shot him after he tried to attack beat police personnel and overpower them.
A native of Gadag and a resident of Kumbalgodu, Gani had almost turned the de facto master of city’s chain-snatching scene, after the arrest of Bavaria gangsters — another group that specialised in the crime.
After giving sleepless nights to city police with his lightning speed “skills”, Gani now lies in the Victoria Hospital.
A small-scale real estate agent, Gani graduated to the “greener pastures” of chain-snatching after suffering huge losses. A habitual offender in Chitradurga and Bengaluru, Gani was on the radar of the Bengaluru City Police for quite some time.
Ravi D Channanavar, DCP (West), said Gani was spotted by the beat police on Sunday evening in Jnanabharati limits. “He was chased by the cop on a Cheetah bike and nabbed,” he said. The police decided to take him to Kumbalagodu for further investigation. But Gani had other plans.
“Around 2.30 am, near Kengeri bus stop, he gave us the slip on the pretext of attending nature’s call. Three teams were formed to nab him and he was spotted at Banashankari 6th Stage around 5.40 am. He punched a senior officer on the chest and threw stones. SI Praveen Yaligar shot him on his leg and arrested him.”
Rob, rest, rob
Gani was involved in more than 70 chain-snatching incidents across Bengaluru. He used to begin his day as early as 5 am, targeting women on morning walks. Soon after, he used to rest at his Kumbalagodu house and again strike in the evening. Following special orders to nab chain-snatchers, police rummaged through more than 30 DVRs and observed his helmet and jackets to zero in on him. Police commissioner T Suneel Kumar rewarded head constable Chandrakumar, who first nabbed Gani, and the Kengeri team with Rs 1 lakh each.