Karnataka - Mysore   

Youth to help police check chain-snatching incidents

MYSORE: In an effort to contain incidents of chain-snatching, the city police have sought the help of local youth of those localities where the incidents are frequent.

Interested youth should be in the age group of 18 to 35. However, the person should own a motorbike and a mobile phone to be part of this exercise. The police have proposed sending SMSs to the selected person when a chain-snatching incident occurs. The youth must immediately go to the area in order to help the police catch the culprit.

Despite forming additional special squads, the police are yet to achieve success with regard to ending the menace.

Following a series of chain-snatching incidents, fear has gripped women living in residential localities and areas on the outskirts of the city such as Kuvempunagar, Gokulam, Vijayanagar, V.V. Mohalla, J.L. Puram, Saraswathipuram and Srirampura where the menace is widespread. The chain-snatchers operate at isolated areas in residential localities and places where women go for regular walks.

A circular was sent to police stations across the city in June to identify youth from youth clubs or local organisations, who would volunteer to help the police in catching the chain-snatchers.

“This concept had worked well in Bangalore and therefore it is being tried in Mysore, according to police sources. Interested persons should submit recent passport size photographs with details of their educational qualifications and occupation to either the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) or the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) at the office of the Commissioner of Police at 5 p.m. every day.

The selected youth will get an identity card and the Commissioner will meet them once to explain the exercise.

There are plans to rope in at least 50 to 100 youth to operate in each police station limits.

The police suspect that a single gang is behind the incidents.

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