Police arrest wife of chain-snatcher

Allegedly instructed him to target at least three women per day

Three months ago, in June, the Jnanabharathi police opened fire on a notorious chain-snatcher and arrested him for his alleged involvement in over 70 cases of theft carried out in and around the city in one year. He was identified as Achyuth Kumar.

Now, they have arrested his 28-year-old wife Mahadevi for abetment.

After his arrest, Achyuth claimed that his wife oversaw his activities, and would give him a minimum target of three chains a day.

If he achieved those targets, it would mean that he is involved in at least a 1,000 instances of robbery or chain-snatching. According to the police, he operated in other parts of the State, too.

According to the police, Mahadevi was responsible for fencing the gold jewellery, but went underground soon after her husband was arrested. After several months on her trail, the Kengeri police tracked her down to an orphanage in her home town in north Karnataka where she had sought shelter.

“She claimed to have invested the money in real estate and a money-lending business,” said the police.