BENGALURU : Bengaluru police claim to be on a war-footing against chain snatchers in the city. Though they have never shirked from upping the ante, chain-snatchers have proved hard to nab. With recent incidents of chain snatching going up, the city police have not only invoked the ‘Goonda Act’ on some repeat offenders, but are also trying few ‘psychological tactics’ against them.BENGALURU :
“We are taking all possible measures to curb the menace. We have made several arrests, and have also been trying new techniques to nab the offenders. Measures are also being taken to collect all possible data about the gangs and their men along with their modus operandi (MO),” said a senior police officer. Policemen in the department opine that the MO — riding up to the victim on a motorcycle, seeking directions for an address, committing the crime and speeding away — remains almost the same. What has changed and is a cause of greater concern, is the use of special tools and customised motorcycles.
Police form squads
Deviating from clichéd patrolling and detection, the city police now has a fresh approach to keep chain-snatchers under control, by giving intense personal attention to each through various squads within the police stations. “A squad consisting few policemen and women has been unofficially formed within the police stations itself. Here, we ask the police in-charge to ensure that a bank of offenders is created and updated on a regular basis,” said Ravi D Chennanavar, DCP West.
A list of more than 100 chain-snatchers has reportedly been prepared by the city police team with details of their cases, MO, crime records and addresses, along with other minor information regarding spots and patterns of offences committed. The records are updated constantly and are made available to officers in-charge in the respective squads.
Psychological tactics
Though the system has not been christened, cops say the technique involves keeping known offenders under psychological pressure, preventing them from repeating the offense. The snatchers on the list are being summoned on a regular basis to the stations, where they are quizzed regarding their whereabouts in the past few days and present occupation. Their present status and other details are recorded, along with contact details. “Records from each police station are being summoned to add to the database,” a senior officer said.
This not only gives our officers information about who’s inside the jail and who’s out, “we also feel this will build psychological pressure on the accused and they will fear that they are being watched,”said SD Sharanappa, DCP South.
In the last few days, police said several ‘rowdy parades’ have been conducted, and there have been special rounding of known chain snatchers. “Many of them are being interrogated individually at length regarding their present activities. We focus on the habitual and hardcore chain snatchers. We are also gathering information about new offenders,” said Sharanappa.
Acid, speedy bikes and pliers
Despite their efforts to curb the menace, there are new offenders who come up with unique strategies and use fast bikes to continue snatching chains. There are incidents where a ‘diagonal cutting plier’ that is used to cut iron and steel is used in many incidents, said the police. Along with that, there are few acids that are available in the market - once a drop is put on the victim’s chain, it is easy to just snatch it.
According to reliable sources, “some offenders use it for quick execution of the crime when the targeted gold chain weighs more than three sovereigns,” an officer said.
There are also high-power engine motorcycles that are used, explained a senior officer. Most times, during recovery, the officers said the bikes recovered are high-speed ones that help offenders get away from the spot almost immediately. “Some of the offenders boost the engine power of the two-wheelers by fitting imported carburettors and quick-action throttles,” a senior officer explained.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
■ Database of offenders created
■ Goonda Act invoked on repeat offenders
■ Jewellers who have been booked earlier for purchasing stolen gold are under scanner.
■ Women police deployed
■ West zone DCP has distributed scarves to neighbourhood women.
■ Street plays and handbills distribution to educate on safety habits.
■ Vulnerable stretches identified and police patrolling in those stretches.
■ Requested BBMP to ensure all streets are brightly lit.
■ Resident welfare
associations of few areas asked to install CCTV cameras.
■ Repeated checks of CCTV footage to check suspicious people roaming on bikes.
‘Rowdy parades’
In the last few days, police said several ‘rowdy parades’ have been conducted, and there have been special rounding of known chain snatchers
Notorious chain snatchers of B’luru
1 Bawaria gang: Ram Singh alias Sumer alias Homi and gang
They are a nomadic tribe of UP, whose members are involved in murders, rape, robberies. The members operate in groups with women and children, who survey and identify targets while posing as cloth sellers. The groups return to their village after a fortnight, with the loot.
Cases solved: More than 50 in the recent months
Status: Arrested and now in prison
2 Iranian gang: Irani Kasim Ali alias Zafar and gang. They communicate in a mix of Persian and Urdu so that only they can understand what they are saying. It is difficult for the police to catch them. The gang was recently arrested and members are now behind bars. They were earlier into conning elderly women by attention diversion.
Cases solved:
More than 40 cases.
Status: Arrested and now in prison
3 Local gang: Achyut Kumar and his wife Mahadevi. She would motivate him to snatch as many chains as possible. She would even set targets for him. Every day, a minimum of three chains were robbed.
Cases solved: 100
Status: Arrested and now in prison
4 Local gang: Fayaz Khan, Syed Tabrez and gang. The gang was staying in a rented house in Konankunte, and would roam the city snatching chains, especially in south and south-east Bengaluru.
Cases solved: 20 and above
Status: Arrested and now in prison.