The Kalamassery police on Sunday arrested three members of a gang for snatching gold chains from women.
The arrested have been identified as Sibi Cletus, 24, of Kanjirathinkal House, Choukka; Mahesh, 23, of Mechira House, Varapuzha; and Ummar Farooq, 25, of Panginikkad House, Puthuvype. The gang had been under police observation for the past one week.
“They were arrested while planning to snatch chains in the Edappally Toll area,” the police said. Sibi and Mahesh were also planning to snatch chains in the Edappally area, where the church festival is going on. However, they were arrested before they could commit the crime.
The Kalamassery police said that the arrested were accused in over 30 chain-snatching cases registered at various police stations, including those at Cheranalloor, Kunnumpuram, Kaloor, Koonamthai, Edappally and Nedumbassery, over the last two years. “During interrogation, the accused persons confessed to have committed those crimes. The police nabbed Sibi and Mahesh first. Ummer was arrested later based on the information given by the others,” the police said.
Ummer and Sibi are relatives. They were involved in 17 chain-snatching cases registered at Ernakulam North, Palarivattom, Cheranalloor, Kalamassery, Binanipuram, Varapuzha and Aluva police stations.
They were in jail for four months in connection with these cases, but were released on February 4 on bail. However, they continued their operations after coming out of the jail”, the police said.