Complaints of chain snatching in the city seems to be on the rise. On Monday alone, two women who were walking alone near their houses at Narimedu and Karimedu lost their gold chain weighing about seven and four sovereigns respectively.
According to police officers investigating into the crime cases, this year alone around 65 cases of chain snatching had been reported so far, while it was 40 in 2007 and 60 cases in 2008 in the city police limits. With two more months to go, the number is likely to rise further, a senior officer said.
The police are clueless on the modus operandi of the robbers as not every victim could identify the accused or had noted down the registration number of the two-wheeler. Even when a woman victim recollected the registration number of the vehicle involved in the crime, a check with the RTO authorities revealed that it was a bogus number, he said.
“After watching the movements of lone women in a particular locality, the robbers, under the guise of enquiring about an address or a person, snatch the chain and flee under the cover of darkness.”
Though chain snatching incidents were reported from many areas, women residing in Anna Nagar and Teppakulam police station limits were more at risk. Localities such as S.S. Colony, Tallakulam and Karimedu also were prone for chain snatching, the police said.
In the suburbs
The police said that there was rise in chain snatching incidents in the suburbs also in the recent past. About four months back, the police arrested a notorious robber, Ravi alias Ravichandran, and recovered a huge number of gold ornaments from him. Despite being a physically challenged person, he had managed to ride a motorcycle and commit the crime, police said.
Another history-sheeter, ‘Orapodi’ Narayanan, who is wanted in Oomachikulam police station limits for several offences including chain snatching crimes, is absconding for a long time. Though the police arrested his accomplices, they are yet to nab Narayanan.
