The spate of chain snatching incidents in the city continued with five cases being reported on Wednesday. The booty in these cases was worth Rs1.8 lakh.
The spate of chain snatching incidents in the city continued with five cases being reported on Wednesday. The booty in these cases was worth Rs1.8 lakh. The total number of such cases in the past four days has now gone up to 17.
The incidents on Wednesday took place in the jurisdictions of Dattawadi, Swargate, Sahakarnagar and Hadapsar police stations. The police suspect that the same suspects are involved in all the cases.
An unidentified suspect snatched a gold chain worth Rs75,000 and sped away on a black Pulsar motorcycle at Padmavati in Sahakarnagar. A complaint in this regard has been registered by the victim, Suman Pravin Sharma, 43, of Bibvewadi.
Smita Kishor Patil, 42, of Dattawadi lodged a complaint at Sahakarnagar police station, stating that two unidentified persons came on a bike and snatched her gold chain worth Rs45,000.
Pramila Rasiklal Shaha, 66, of Mumbai lodged a complaint at Dattawadi police station, that two suspects on a Pulsar bike and snatched a gold chain worth Rs25,000 at Parvati Paytha on Wednesday evening.
Lilawati Kaniyalal Raval, 53, of Warje lodged a complaint at Swargate police station, saying two unidentified persons came on a bike when she was going to Gangadham Chowk and snatched her gold chain worth Rs15,000.
Two suspects snatched a gold chain worth Rs20,000 and fled on a black Pulsar on Hadapsar-Sasanenagar on Wednesday. A complaint has been registered by the victim, Shardabai Anne, 70, of Hadapsar at Hadapsar police station.
The police said Anne was going to her relatives’ home, when two youths came on a motorcycle near Todkar Township and asked for directions for some address. They then threatened to kill her, snatched her chain and sped away.
The police are taking the help of traffic department. The cases will be investigated by an officer of the rank of police inspector (crime).
In 2010, as many as 240 incidents of chain snatching were reported, out of which the police managed to solve only 79 cases, which is just 33%. In 2011, till April 13, 90 cases were recorded in the city. March was the most affected with 30 cases.
Two months ago, commissioner of police, Meeran Chadha Borwankar said chain snatching cases are a cause of concern for the city police. “Every week, two to three cases of chain snatching are reported in the city,” she said.
“It has been observed that most suspects involved in chain snatching are outsiders, They come to the city, target two or three victims in a row and disappear. Chain snatching is one of the easiest crimes. Still, it requires some skill. Temptation is also one of the reasons behind such crimes,” Borwankar said.
The officers of the Pune police crime branch said, “To curb such crimes, the police carry out nakabandi in the city. The police have identified certain areas and intensified patrolling there. Yet, such incidents continue to take place.”
Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Anant Rokade told DNA, “Most of the suspects involved in chain snatching are young and usually involve two people on a bike.”
The police have adjusted the timing of patrols, after observing that the incidents took place after 11pm and early in the morning. The Vishrambaug, Swargate and Khadak police are focussing on riders of Pulsar and Enticer motorcycles.
When asked why such cases are on the rise, Rokade said, “The value of gold has soared and women are soft targets. These are the main reasons. Women should take precautions when on the roads.”
According to the police, Yerawada, Hadapsar and Wanavdi are some of the vulnerable localities since the suspects can easily flee to rural parts of the district after committing the crime.
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