Bawaria group behind chain-snatchings in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The notorious Bawaria gang, members of a nomadic clan from Uttar Pradesh, are said to have been involved in a string of chain snatching cases in the city on January 8.

The Bawaria gang, also known as the ‘chaddi baniyan’ gang, was also engaged in a string of chain snatching incidents in Bengaluru, according to a police officer. In addition to the Bengaluru special teams, 12 special parties constituted by the city police and Rachakonda police are currently scouring the tribal villages of ‘Ghumantu’, Mewaiti, Saasi, Bhaatu, and ‘Kangda’ in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, among others.

Bawarias are a nomadic tribe that has been involved in various criminal activities for several decades. They usually operate in UP, although their movements have also been reported in Haryana and Rajasthan, where they originate. Almost all attacks involve murder, rape, burglaries, or assaults.

Police said the gang is notorious for attacking houses located close to roads or railway tracks. While men commit crimes, Bawaria women are said to undertake reconnaissance in order to identify vulnerable victims. They disguise themselves as traders, selling either textiles or utensils, when conducting a recce of the houses they intend to attack. Even children are sometimes included in the recce operation, police said.

According to police, the gang is skilled at committing chain snatching crimes by avoiding capture on CCTV footage and escaping to their native areas by road the same night. "The accused were aware that we have a dense network of CCTV cameras. While they may try to avoid the gaze of CCTV, we identified the gang based on their modus operandi,” a police officer said.

Initially, the local tribes in these villages did not provide information about the accused, but when the local police got involved, each team from the city was attached to a local police officer who managed to get the names of the accused after being provided with images from CCTV footage, according to police sources. Though the special parties have the accused's photographs, they are having difficulty obtaining information because the locals there are known by common names, according to police sources.

“Our teams are well trained to deal with these types of situations. We are providing state-level police support and are constantly monitoring and collecting their feedback. We are hopeful to crack the crime very soon,” said a senior police official.