KOCHI: Bike-borne chain snatchers are back to haunt the city and its suburbs after a lull. And, in almost all cases, women are their primary targets.On Tuesday, two men were arrested by the Ernakulam Rural Police for snatching the chains of two women in Gothuruth and Paliyam areas under the Vadakkekara police station.
Earlier this month, the Tripunithura Hill Palace police arrested a Kannur native for snatching a gold chain from an elderly woman. In the latest incident, Unnikrishnan, alias Unni, 27, of Mavelikkara and Kavanad Sasi, aka Sasi, 44, hailing from Anchalamoodu, Kollam, were arrested.
Upon interrogation, it was revealed that the duo was behind nearly 10 chain snatching incidents in five districts – Kollam, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Thrissur and Idukki – between December 2019 and January.
Interestingly, the duo got acquainted while serving jail term together. They planned the operations inside the jail. "The duo started snatching chains to settle a murder case registered at Veeyapuram police station in Alappuzha, in which Unnikrishnan was an accused," Ernakulam Rural SP K Karthik
"Unnikrishnan wanted to make around Rs 7 lakh- Rs10 lakh for settling the murder case. He was also booked in theft cases registered at the Palarivattom and Aluva police stations," he said. He added that Sasi was an alcoholic and had been arraigned in around 30 criminal cases in the state. "The duo executed the operation after Unnikrishnan got out on bail. They only targeted women," Karthik said.
In the first week of January, the Tripunithura Hill Palace police arrested Shehanad, 36, of Kannur, for snatching a gold chain from an elderly woman. According to the police, the accused targeted elderly woman pedestrians in secluded areas. “He used to follow his targets on his two-wheeler and attack them from behind,” said a police official.
Chain snatching cases on the decline
Police officials said despite the recent incidents, the city was witnessing a decline in chain snatching cases. The Rural SP said the same. "The number of snatching cases in the district is going down. Investigation in a few cases is under way. We have identified the persons involved and they will be arrested soon," he said, adding, "No matter how smart they are, those involved in chain snatching cases are arrested at the earliest."
The modus operandi
Chain snatchers mostly use stolen motorcycles. To ensure a safe escape, the accused select localities near main roads for committing the offences. They usually operate in broad daylight and target elderly women. After a crime, the criminals briefly go into hiding and hatch the plan to commit the crime again once the dust settles down, said a top police officer.
How the duo was arrested
Unnikrishnan and Sasi were put under surveillance by a police team for around 20 days. The team had earlier carried out a comprehensive inquiry about the offenders time in jail and in other districts and thoroughly analysed their history before moving in to nab them.
