Hyderabad: Chain snatchers struck 10 times in 12 hours in Rachakonda commissionerate limits of Hyderabad. The incidents were reported from Chaitanyapuri, LB Nagar, Meerpet, Vanasthalipuram, Hayathnagar and Adibatla.
At least 30 tola of gold worth about Rs 9 lakh is said to have been robbed in all the offences.
The suspected snatchers were spotted on CCTV cameras on a sports bike, with the rider wearing a helmet and carrying a backpack while the pillion-rider was also masking his face with a handkerchief.
The first incident was reported at about 4 pm on Wednesday, when the duo allegedly snatched a gold chain from a woman at Meerpet and then targeted two women at Vanasthalipuram. Within an hour they attempted to snatch a chain at LB Nagar but failed to do so.
Alerted by the complaints, the police began analysing CCTV footage and found the suspects headed towards Hayathnagar. Later in the evening, they again snatched chains from two women at Hayathnagar.
On Thursday, the duo struck for an hour from 6.30 am. Starting at Hayathnagar, they struck at Vanasthalipuram, LB Nagar and Chaitanyapuri. They were later seen headed towards Malakpet. The Hyderabad Task Force police, which was also alerted, found that the duo then moved back towards Chaitanyapuri.
At the end of the spree, they had stolen three chains each at Hayathnagar and Vanasthalipuram and one each at LB Nagar, Meerpet and Chaitanyapuri.
Rachakonda police formed eight special teams to nab the suspects, who police said could be from either Uttar Pradesh or Karnataka. The motorcycle on which the suspects were travelling had a Telangana registration number, but officials are yet to decide on its genuineness.
A senior police official from Rachakonda said the CCTV images of the suspects had been sent to police from various states for further information.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar said “The information about the chain snatching incidents has come to our notice. All the teams of Hyderabad police are ready to tackle the menace.”
In 2017, 64 snatching incidents were reported of which 40 were detected. The number of snatchings, including the incidents of Wednesday and Thursday, now stands at 71, of which 41 have been solved.
