BELAGAVI: ALL the six members of the notorious ‘Irani gang’ of chain snatchers have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
First additional sessions judge Venkatesh Naik on Friday awarded the jail terms to Mohammad Irani, Shaharukha Shaikh, Abbas Irani, Haider Irani, Rafiq Shaikh and Saleem Shaikh.
The gang had snatched 33 chains in 2015, targetting lone women who would go for morning walks. They would also target women at residential areas asking them for water or directions.
The Maharashtra-based gang would use mostly stolen bikes with fake number plates. After ‘working’ for four days at one place, it would shift to other places. To avoid getting caught in CCTV cameras, the gang would use service roads to enter Maharashtra at check posts. The gang would sell the stolen chains to a contact in Pune.
The then Police Commissioner S Ravi had formed a special team to nab the gang. The team led by the then Malmaruti police station PSI B R Gaddekar achieved a crucial breakthrough.
The criminals tried to flee when they figured that they were being followed. The gang was stopped at Srinagar and the police opened fire at them when one of the accused threw stones at the police. While one was shot in his leg, two others tried to run away but were arrested later.