Spurt in chain snatching incidents

In the last 48 hours, the city witnessed nearly half a dozen incidents of chain snatching.

Shoba (32) of Azhagesan Road in Sai Baba Colony was relieved of her 3.5 sovereign jewellery by two motorcycle-borne persons when she was walking along the road. Rajaselvi (53), who was walking along the Narayana Guru Road, was relieved of 5.5 sovereigns of jewellery. Soundaram (67) was also relieved of her 10 sovereigns of jewellery.

The police suspect that the accused are the same in all the incidents.

Porkodi (40) of Sungam in Ramanathapuram police limits who was walking along the road was relieved of her two-sovereign jewellery.

Two motorcycle-borne persons snatched six sovereigns of jewellery from Katha Kasthuri, wife of Venkatesan of Lawley Road area, in R.S. Puram area. In another incident, Sivakami (72), who was working in the garden at her residence, was relieved of her 8-sovereign chain.

The city police have formed special teams to probe into the incidents and nab the culprits. An exclusive team has also been formed to track those duping women posing as police personnel offering tips on safety.

Arrested

The Race Course police arrested Prabhakaran (24) at a private hospital in the city. According to the police, he had come to help his father undergoing treatment at the hospital. On Wednesday night, Prabhakaran tried to misbehave with a 40-year-old woman and intimidated her not to reveal it to anyone. Based on her complaint, the police registered a case under Prevention of Harassment of Women Act and for criminal intimidation.