BENGALURU:While the city police are busy with election-related duties, chain-snatchers are having a field day targeting women in the mornings and late evenings. But the police are not able to pursue the cases as their priority is to ensure peaceful elections now.
The recent incident in Rajarajeshwari Nagar wherein a woman was molested by two chain-snatchers after she resisted them has raised questions about the steps taken by the city police to curb chain snatching. When asked whether any arrests were made in the case, a senior police officer said, “Since we are busy with election bandobust, we have no time to investigate the case. However, a special team is looking for the accused.”
When chain snatching incidents spiked early this year, City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar had instructed all station house officers to beef up security in the mornings and evenings to nab chain-snatchers. As instructed, police set up check points, gathered details of habitual offenders and kept an eye on those chain-snatching offenders, who were released from jail. But this has not helped much in tackling the menace.
It also seems like those who commit chain-snatching have no fear of the police. In a recent instance, two members of the notorious Bawaria gang, which has been involved in scores of chain-snatching cases in the city, had attacked the police in Soladevanahalli and escaped on April 11. Later, one of them was shot at and nabbed by the police. The members of the Bawaria gang of Uttar Pradesh and Irani gang are still giving sleepless nights to the city police.
Besides these two notorious gangs, many offenders, who are residents of the city and come to the city with the sole purpose of committing the offence, are also active. “Lack of coordinated efforts and inspiration to lower rung police staff are the main reasons for chain-snatching incidents happening repeatedly. Senior officers should motivate their men. Instead, they just give orders and expect results. It won’t work that way. Also, sensitising women folk holds the key in prevention of chain-snatching incidents,” an officer of the rank of ACP said.