BHUBANESWAR: Snatchings on the Capital streets have become an everyday menace for the police which has failed to curb it despite starting a number of special initiatives. The latest victim of the street crime is the daughter of a police officer.
As per a complaint filed by the girl’s father, unidentified bike-borne miscreants snatched her mobile phone while she was in an area under Khandagiri police limits and fled the spot. However, in this case police immediately swung into action as the victim is the daughter of a police man, posted at DCP office in the Capital. Soon after, police tracked the mobile phone and detained the youth, who told the investigators that he had purchased the device from one of his friends.
“The youth had sold the mobile phone to someone else. The stolen phone has been recovered and further investigation is on,” Khandagiri Police said.
Police are investigating whether the youth received stolen mobile phones from the snatchers in the past and have launched a search operation to trace the persons involved in the crime.
Despite taking measures to bring the menace to an end, Commissionerate Police has so far failed to nab the miscreants involved in the March 29 snatching.
A Pokhariput resident, Sarat Kumar Panda (52), was attacked by bike-borne miscreants when he was returning from a park in the area on March 29 morning.
Victim’s son, Saroj said his father was kicked by the goons following which he fell on the road. “The miscreants threatened him with a sharp weapon and asked him to handover all the valuables,” Saroj said. They snatched a gold chain and a ring from him before fleeing the spot on motorcycles.
A senior police officer said Special Squad is not functioning properly after the transfer of ACP Sanjeev Sathpathy, and it is a cause of concern as the team is specialised in detecting such crimes.
Commissionerate Police had issued an advisory on March 18 for the cops to take preventive measures to tackle incidents of snatchings in the City.