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Chain-snatchings put City police in a tight spot

Last Updated 12 June 2015, 19:41 IST

The spate of chain snatchings that rocked the City on Thursday and Friday has rattled the public and the police alike. Though the police are yet to zero in on the gang that committed the serial crimes, the spurt in chain snatchings has evoked some strong reactions.

“Such incidents occur as police have failed to take the cases of arrests of chain snatchers to logical end. Organised functioning that includes prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, conviction and follow up of those released on bail is not happening. Police seem to be dependent on CCTV footages and pawnbrokers to arrest chain snatchers. It’s time the City police adopted a scientific approach,” a senior IPS  officer who had earlier headed the City’s crime wing opined.

 Meanwhile, police officers suspect the involvement of one of the three gangs based in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh or Ramjinagar in Tamil Nadu and Iranian gang.

P Harishekaran, Additional Commissioner of Police (East), said: “We suspect the involvement of the Iranian gang in Thursday’s incidents, but we can’t confirm about the specific gang until we arrest them. We can’t rule out the involvement of other gangs for now.”

Nomadic tribe
“These Irani gangs are a nomadic tribe settled on the outskirts of Hyderabad, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Hubballi, Pune and other areas. Though they are skilled in diverting people’s attention and robbing them, there are reports of them indulging in chain snatchings as well,” he added.

The ancestors of the gang members hail from Iran who migrated to India and settled down in Hyderabad.

They were employed as cooks to the Nizams. Some of their descendents commit a series of chain snatchings and leave the City by trains and return only after two or three years, said former DG and IGP Shankar Bidari. He opines that the Homicide and Burglary squad at the CID should be strengthened to support City and district police.

Intelligence gathering
There should be proper criminal intelligence gathering and coordination among all states and particularly with railway police. Copies of fingerprints should be made available to all police wings all over the country, he added.

“Chain snatching is a cyclic crime that begins, reaches its peaks and comes down. It is basically an urban phenomenon not just restricted to Bengaluru and  it needs a lot of planning to prevent it,” Gopal B Hosur, retired IGP, who handled several such cases suggested.

In an organised manner
The police need not worry if there are stray incidents, but they should take it seriously if the chain snatching is being committed in an organised way. Detection of the cases and a vigil on those involved is the best way to handle chain snatchings, he pointed out.

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(Published 12 June 2015, 19:41 IST)

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