Strike at 7 places, flee with gold chains worth Rs2.77 lakh; top cops put heads together to curb menace.
It could not have been a better day for the police officers to scratch their heads on how to curb chain snatching. As many as seven incidents were reported on a day when top police officers from 24 districts in the state were meeting at the Pune police commissionerate to discuss ways to curb the menace.
Stung by the chain of events, the police swung into action and resorted to naka bandi on various city roads on Wednesday, but with no success.
The incidents came as an embarrassment to the force that had claimed to solve 22 chain snatching cases by arresting a seven-member gang. The police now claim that the seven-a-day shame could be an act of retaliation by the ‘at large’ members of the gang that was arrested earlier this week.
Tuesday’s incidents were reported from Swargate, Sahakarnagar, Chinchwad, Yerawada, Vishrantwadi, Pimpri and Nigdi areas in which gold chains worth Rs2.77 lakh were stolen.
Since all complainants have reported two unidentified persons coming on a motorcycle, all police stations and beat marshals have been instructed to check motorcycle riders, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (crime) Rajendra Bhamre.
“If the rider does not have proper documents, such motor bikes will be taken to the police station concerned where the bike owner must submit the requisite papers to get his bike.
The riders will be detained in the police station till the owner arrives with documents. We have found that most chain snatchers use stolen bikes,” Bhamre said.
The police will be keeping an eye on high power racing bikes since they have been used by chain snatchers to zoom away from the crime scene.
Plans and more plans
In a bid to remain a step ahead of chain snatchers, the police now plan to check CCTV footage of toll plazas on highways as the chain snatchers flee from the city using highways. Plain-clothes policemen will be increased in the affected areas. Bhamre also said that there are plans to restructure the existing anti-chain snatching cell as more force will be allocated to it.
@DNA
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}