Irani Pada residents attack police team who apprehended chain snatcher, 3 officers injured

Three police officers were injured as a mob attacked them while arresting a chain-snatching suspect in Thane. Nine attackers were arrested.

THANE: Three police officers were injured after a mob of at least 30 people pelted stones at a 16-member team from Andheri’s MIDC police station who had apprehended a suspect in a chain-snatching case from the Irani Pada area in Ambivli, near Kalyan, on Wednesday evening.

Irani Pada residents attack police team who apprehended chain snatcher, 3 officers injured

Following the attack, officers from Zone 3 of the Thane Police Commissionerate conducted a combing operation in Irani Pada, a settlement of people of Iranian descent, and arrested nine of the attackers. An FIR has been registered against 30 people, out of which 20 are still unidentified. The Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP) also registered a separate FIR against the attackers for vandalising railway property.

Sanjay Chavan, senior police inspector at the MIDC police station, said that a 60-year-old woman had approached them four days ago saying three men on a motorcycle had snatched her chain worth ₹2 lakh while she was on her morning walk.

“After registering the case, we received a tip-off from our informer that the accused who had conducted the chain snatching were from Ambivli,” said Chavan. The MIDC police then identified the three suspects and laid a trap at Irani Pada to nab them. “We sent a team of three officers and 13 constables to Ambivli to arrest the accused,” said Chavan.

On Wednesday evening, the officers parked their vehicles at different locations and scattered across the Irani settlement. After nearly two hours, the officers identified one of the suspects, Onu Irani, aged 20. Around 10 pm, two officers apprehended Irani and began moving him swiftly towards their vehicle.

However, an alarm raised by a resident mobilised a crowd from the settlement. Chaos ensued as several individuals, named in the FIR only as Kur, Gazi John, Gulam, Taufiq, Fatima, Shehjadi, Gini, Mausam, Jafar, Nuri, and Sera, led an assault on the officers.

“After detaining [Irani], the team was heading toward Ambivli railway station when a mob chased them and attacked them with stones, preventing them from performing their duties,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Atul Zhende.

As the situation escalated, the police officers sought refuge in the Ambivli railway station manager’s cabin, which is adjacent to the settlement. Amid the chaos, Irani managed to escape from police custody. The stone pelting was so intense and dangerous that the station master’s cabin was left stained with blood. Eventually, some women from the Irani settlement intervened to bring the assault to an end.

DCP Zhende, upon being informed of the incident, organised a large-scale combing operation in the area, involving teams from three police stations in Kalyan. By 3 am on Thursday, five attackers had been arrested, while four more were apprehended later in the day. Efforts are ongoing to locate the others, officers said.

According to the FIR filed by constable Yashwant Palve from the MIDC police team at the Khadakpada police station, the mob not only injured three police personnel but also caused significant damage to railway property, including the ticket counter.

This is the third reported attack by residents of Irani Pada on Mumbai police teams. Residents of the settlement have been reported to be involved in a string of crimes, including chain-snatching, bike thefts, and house break-ins. Many suspects, once released on bail, are known to return to criminal activities, perpetuating a cycle of violence and obstruction against law enforcement.