The South Delhi Police over the weekend initiated an ‘operation’ in R.K. Puram, Safdarjung and Sarojini Nagar to prevent chain-snatching cases, and according to them, the crime has been eradicated from these areas.
These areas were extremely prone to chain snatching. On a daily routine, three to 10 such cases would be reported from these areas. But after the launch of the operation named ‘Eagle Eye’, no cases have been reported from the areas so far, said the police.
“In an initiative taken up by the Special Staff of South district, three police stations, including R.K. Puram, Sarojini Nagar and Safdarjung, have come together to curb snatching. The idea is to beat criminals in their game,” said a police officer associated with the operation.
“We have selected constables who are familiar with the area. They roam around the areas in civil clothes. They have been asked to camouflage their identity to track down the culprits. We have also given them weapons and Tetra communication sets. They go on rounds from 11-30 a.m. to 7-30 p.m. This is the time frame when most snatchings take place,” added the officer.
When they see a probable suspect, the officer said “ the police on ground starts following the suspect and informs the back-up team of the Special Staff. The accused is then rounded up by the back-up team and arrested.”
Over the past four days, we have detained four suspects and if we go by the average number of chain snatching cases reported daily, almost 24 cases have been prevented from happening, said the officer. The senior police officers of the South district have applauded the success of the initiative and are keen on continuing with it in future.