Ahmedabad falling victim to quick snatch-and-grab operations

Ahmedabad's wealthy are attracting admirers of a different kind from the southern part of India. Gangs from Andhra Pradesh are coming to the city for quick snatch-and-grab operations.

Vastrapur police, who were on Friday, handed over a man trying to snatch a bag from a car, said he is most likely to be part of one such gang. The man was nabbed by commuters after Suresh Shah shouted for help. The incident happened in the evening when the accused, one Dinamurli, tried to snatch a bag kept in Shah's car at a traffic junction.

"Such gangs have innovative modus operandi for their acts. In this case, the accused asked the victim for directions. Another favourite tactic of theirs is to distract people by telling them that they dropped some cash," said ASI Bhagwan Patel of Vastrapur police. Patel said the members of such gangs stay at railway stations and, once their operation is finished, make a quick exit from the city.

Another cop interrogating the accused said the gang members are fluent in Hindi. "But in police custody they say they don't know the language. We have to then seek the help of a translator," he said. Cops said they had in two earlier instances nabbed members of the gang.

Once nabbed, the cops also send details of the gang members to their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh.