Hyderabad: The police has arrested notorious chain snatcher Babar alias Baquar Akram Ali who is involved in about 102 chain snatching cases in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Medak district. About 3.5 kg gold and other articles worth around Rs 1 crore were recovered from him. The cops have also arrested a booty receiver.
Apart from Babar, 32, a resident of Hussaini Colony, in the Bidar district of Karnataka, booty receiver K. Ram Prasad alias Ramu, 27, a gold smith and resident of Chenna Baswanagar, Bidar district were also arrested.
The culprits who are yet to be arrested are Fida Ali, 28, a resident of Shivaji Nagar, Pune (lodged in Ahmed Nagar jail in Maharashtra), Asadullah Abu Irani alias Chulalu, 33, a resident of Nanded (absconding), Iqbal, 30, a resident of Biwandi (presently lodged at Taloja Central jail in Navi Mumbai), Ashiq Hussain alias Sharukh Khan, 38, a resident of Hussaini Colony, Bidar, (presently lodged at Cherlaplly jail) and Rudnoor Mallikarjun, 33, a goldsmith and a resident of Gulbarga, Karnataka (receiver).
With this arrest the police has solved 102 chain snatching cases reported from 2012 to 2015. Of this 70 are in Hyderabad, 26 in Cyberabad and six in Medak district.
Police said Baquar, the kingpin and his buddies used to come to Hyderabad from Bidar on a bike and after committing five to six crimes in a day return to Bidar.
“Earlier, he was arrested by Mumbai police in a cheating case. His gang committed about 102 crimes in the last four years,” Mr Reddy said.
The culprits were arrested after a tip-off from head constable P. Venkata Swamy and constables Md. Mobinuddin and G. Suresh. They were handed over to the Amberpet police for further action. The commissioner said repeat offenders involved in chain snatchings will be booked under the Preventive Detention Act.
