HYDERABAD: Nine incidents of chain snatching and one failed attempt in less than 24 hours on the city outskirts under Rachakonda police commissionerate limits have left denizens, especially women, terrorised. In the nine incidents, the snatchers made away with a total of 25 tolas gold jewellery.
Though CCTV footage showed two bike-borne persons’ involvement in these areas, police are yet to find a breakthrough.
However, police launched a massive hunt, forming 40 special teams, comprising various wings of Rachakonda police commissionerate, to crack the cases. Police have also intensified vehicle checks at various junctions, including exit points of the city, crowded places and bus stations. Police have also circulated the video grabs of the snatchers on social media platforms.
Reward for clues
Meanwhile, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat announced a reward for any one providing clues about the snatchers. A senior official from Rachakonda said that teams from law & order, Special Operations Team (SOT), crime, cybercrime, technical wing and traffic wings are on job to trace the snatchers.
“All police stations are on high alert and police stations in the bordering Karnataka, Maharashtra are also alerted. Suspecting that they could be from UP, we have informed them also and shared the CC footage with all our counterparts,” he said.
According to the CC footage released by Rachakonda police, the two snatchers were riding on a sports bike, which was later identified as a ‘KTM Duke’ make. However initial inquiries revealed that the bike had a temporary registration number and could have been stolen. The rider wore a helmet and wore a light blue shirt and jeans, while the pillion rider covered his face with a handkerchief. Police suspect the duo could be a part of an inter-state gang.
Police to step up vigilance to prevent chain snatchings
Following a series of five chain-snatching incidents at five different places in Rachakonda on Wednesday, Hyderabad Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar directed the inspectors and sub-inspectors in city on Thursday to be more vigilant in preventing such incidents from happening again. The city police have collected the footage from Rachakonda police and are circulating it for verification of the accused. “We have given instructions to all policemen in the city to take stringent measures against chain-snatching gangs and to co-ordinate with other police commissionerates to exchange information,” the police commissioner said. It is suspected that a member of an inter-State notorious chain-snatching gang has arrived in the city.