A home guard of Cyberabad police commissionerate, who had been snatching chains from women and attending to duties, was arrested by Cyberabad police on Tuesday.
The accused, Mahender Singh Chowdas, 28, was held along with a woman, Mandru Marry Deena Latha, to whom he gave away the snatched gold chains. A housewife, the woman had allegedly illegal relationship with Chowdas and used to sell the chains he had given to her, the Balanagar ACP N. Narsimha Reddy said.
The home guard was working in the office of the Balanagar Traffic ACP Shyamsunder Reddy. He was married and had children. After entering into alleged illicit relationship with the woman, he started indulging in chain snatchings.
"He admitted that he was in need of money to fulfil needs of the woman and found chain snatchings an easy means," the ACP said. Of the 36 chains he snatched, majority of the offences were committed in the mornings or after 7 p.m.
"Sometimes, he snatched chain in the morning and routinely came back to the ACP office without arousing anyone's suspicion," Mr. Narsimha Reddy said. As offences were frequently reported in Kukatpally, Sanathnagar, Miyapur, Petbasheerabsd and Alwal, police formed special teams and noticed that the chain snatcher was moving on Red Karizma bike.
They started looking out for youngsters riding that bike and narrowed down on the home guard who was coming to duty using the same bike. During interrogation. He confessed to the offences. Gold chains worth Rs. 30 lakh were recovered from him.
