In a major breakthrough in cracking the chain snatching cases reported here over the last three months, the Mysuru city police have arrested 10 persons accused in chain snatching incidents and recovered 25 gold chains weighing about one kg. The value of gold jewellery recovered in chain snatching cases and ornaments in house break theft (HBT) cases is over ₹50 lakh.
With the arrests, the police said it has solved 25 chain snatching cases reported in Mysuru city and Chamarajanagar districts.
A special team of the Crime Branch was constituted by the Police Commissioner Chandragupta after a series of chain snatching incidents in the city. The bike-borne miscreants were targeting lonely women either in the mornings or evenings and robbing them of their gold ornaments, mainly ‘mangalsutra’.
Mr. Chandragupta told reporters here on Friday that the CCB team took two notorious chain snatchers into custody in September while investigating the cases. The others, including two minors, were taken into custody later. Seven two-wheelers used in chain snatching cases were seized.
The chain snatching incidents were reported in Nazarbad police station – 2 cases; Kuvempunagar station – four cases; V.V, Puram station – 2 cases; Narasimharaja station – one case; Saraswathipuram station – four cases; Ashokapuram station – 4; Krishnaraja station – 1; Alanahalli station – 2; Vijayanagar station – 3; Lakshmipuram station – 1; Hebbal station – 2; Mysuru district Kavalande – 1 case; and Chamarajanagar district rural police station –1 case. Two vehicles stolen from Kavalande in Mysuru district and Channarayapatna were recovered, he said.
One person was arrested while selling stolen jewellery and 70 grams of gold was recovered in a HBT theft case.
One of the arrested was involved in 25 chain snatching cases and another in four cases. Both are habitual offenders and they underwent prison terms. They continued to commit the crime even after their jail term.
The arrested in chain snatching cases also belong to Chamarajanagar district, and are relatives. They were residing in Hebbal and Devaiyanahundi here. They were working in construction sites and as security guards.
One of the six arrested in the HBT case is an advocate, who was helping the other accused.
Mr. Chandragupta handed over the gold chains recovered to the victims in chain snatching cases. “We are awaiting court permission for handing over other gold chains,” he said
Deputy Commissioner of Police Geetha M.S. and CCB ACP C.K. Ashwathnarayana were present.