Hyderabad: Despite introducing new measures and arming police teams with weapons to tackle chain-snatchers, the police has not been able to significantly reduce chain-snatching.
Chain-snatchers are freely striking even in ‘safe areas’ like the IT corridor, where the maximum numbers of cops are deployed for quick reaction. Both native and interstate snatchers have a free run on the outskirts and in the twin cities. Around 470 chain-snatching cases have been reported so far this year in the city.
Last year, when a series of chain snatchings occurred in parts of the city, the police, especially the Cyberabad team, had taken various measures like deploying a special anti-snatching squad with guns and bikes. The cops had also initiated steps to raise awareness among women on how to be safe. However, after a brief lull, the chain snatchers are back in action again.
In the first week of June, two men from Kukatpally, went on a snatching spree targeting three women in the IT corridor. Their third attempt became a failure leading to their arrest. The women realised that even the most protected IT corridor, where hundreds of CCTV cameras have been installed, is not safe.
Meanwhile, in LB Nagar zone, where the maximum number of snatchings occurred last year there is a reduction in cases. The LB Nagar zone team busted at least three major snatching gangs and recovered two kg gold in the last two months. Earlier, on an average 60 snatching cases used to occur every month in areas like L.B. Nagar, Vanasthalipuram, Ibrahimpatnam, Saroornagar, Meerpet, Manchal, Chaitanyapuri, Hayathnagar, Maheshwaram, Kandukur and Adibatla, (all under LB Nagar zone). Now it has come down to around 20 a month.
“There are still snatchers on the prowl and it is impossible to stop snatchings fully considering the vastness of the area. There are many residential areas and crime prone areas here. Now, we are conducting monthly performance auditing of anti-chain snatching squads to improve results,” said DCP Tafseer Iqubal of LB Nagar zone.
