Hyderabad: The Cyberabad Police on Thursday arrested three notorious chain snatching gangs, including a constable from Hyderabad, who were involved in nearly 46 snatching cases.
The cops recovered gold jewellery worth around Rs 35 lakh and a bike used by one of the gangs for snatching. Cyberabad police commissioner Mr C. V. Anand said that the recently formed anti-snatching teams had played an active role in nabbing these snatchers.
The first gang, in which a constable was a member, was involved in five chain snatchings and the second gang, lead by a Irani snatcher, was involved in 22 snatchings. The third was a lone snatcher who was involved in 19 snatchings in different parts of the city and other districts.
The first gang included constable Mohan Babu, Md Ahmed, a resident of Borabanda and Md Farooq, a resident of Madannapet. Ahmed and Farooq are habitual offenders and have been imprisoned in the past for their involvement in various other offences.
The gang committed nearly five snatchings in Cyberabad area and looted 10 tola of gold and a bike, with a total worth around Rs 3 lakh.
The second gang comprised Iranis Waseem Osman Sayed and Hyder Gareeb Shah Irani (who is absconding). The two committed 22 snatchings in Cyberabad area; 43.5 tola of gold jewellery was recovered from this gang.
The lone snatcher, D. Ramprasad, who is a rice trader from Chandanagar, had committed 19 snatchings in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and areas in Medak district; 19 tola of gold was seized from him.
During interrogation, the snatchers admitted that they had became more alert due to the anti-snatching teams.
“The new teams have become a deterrent to the snatchers and they are thinking twice, as the members of the teams are moving among the public and it is difficult to identify them. In this way, the new teams are working effectively,” said the commissioner.
“The special teams are focusing on nabbing the kingpins behind the racket, who are operating from other states. Often there are protests from local women, and there is lack of support from the police there, but still our men are doing a brilliant job,” he added.
Cop helped snatcher get bail
It has come to light that Mohan Babu, a 2005 batch civil constable, had aided a snatcher, one Farooq, when he was arrested in a case under the Narayanguda Police station.
Later, Mohan met Farooq at the Chanchalguda Prison during mulaqaat and also helped him financially to get bail. He even helped Farooq’s friend Ahmed to come out on bail.
He, later, arranged for an abandoned bike from the police station and encouraged them in their chain snatching endeavors. Konduru Mohan (31), a resident of Manikonda, had joined the police department as a civil constable in 2005.
Mohan Babu
While he was working as a crime constable at Narayanaguda PS, he came in contact with Farooq, who had been arrested in June 2015 and was in police custody. Farooq was later remanded and shifted to the Chanchalguda Prison where he came across his friend Ahmed.
Farooq and Ahmed were habitual offenders and had been involved in many cases since 2002. “He arranged the money and got Farooq released on bail; after this Mohan pressured him to return the bail expenses, which Farooq could not do. Then Farooq requested Mohan to arrange bail for his friend Ahmed, who was in the same prison,” said Cyberabad commissioner C. V. Anand.
Farooq assured that after Ahmed was released, together they could commit offences and repay money to Mohan.
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