“Most women try to hold on to their gold chains. But we advise them to grab the collar or shirt of the chain-snatcher instead, and scream for help. Most chain-snatchers are on motorcyles. If women grab the shirt, he will lose his balance and fall,” says Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) P. Harishekharan.
Mr. Harishekharan had recently prepared a strategy to curb chain-snatchings and issued 22-point guidelines to all police stations across the city. He said that women need to be educated on how to react when an individual attempts to snatch her chain.
City police have now called upon women to help them catch chain-snatchers. “A chain-snatcher leaves no evidence on the crime scene. It is a major challenge to track down the culprit. The best case scenario is that he is apprehended on the spot,” Mr. Harishekharan said on Friday.
Police have decided to crack down on pawn brokers who accept stolen goods. Police are mulling over booking those pawn brokers who don’t adhere to the guidelines under the draconian Goonda Act.
Meanwhile, working on the 17 cases that were reported on Wednesday and Thursday, police have released CCTV camera grab of two suspects on a black motorcycle. They have requested public to help track them down. The men haven’t even worn a helmet.
Police are trying to track down the owner of the motorcycle.
Mr. Harishekharan said that while they had vital leads indicating that most of the incidents on Wednesday and Thursday were carried out by a single gang from Uttar Pradesh, they are yet to make arrests.
Sources say a special team has left for Uttar Pradesh.
