Easy pickings for snatchers on bikes

Everyday, at least two Delhiites become targets of bike-borne criminals. This year, more than 800 cases of snatching by bikers have been reported across the capital, police said.

Everyday, at least two Delhiites become targets of bike-borne criminals. This year, more than 800 cases of snatching by bikers have been reported across the capital, police said.

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Police records paint a rosy picture with figures showing a dip in robberies and snatchings compared to last year. In several cases, police, allegedly, refuse to register any case.

Compared to 850 cases last year, this year 760 cases of snatching by bike-borne men have been reported till November.

This is how the police keep the crime graph under control — on December 10, two motorcycle-borne men snatched the laptop of Ishita Sengupta, a resident of Sector 3 in Dwarka, when she was on her way home. No case was registered.

“Two bike-borne men snatched my laptop and fled away. Despite repeated attempts and several calls, the police did not register any case. They asked me to give a complaint that my laptop had been stolen,” said a harried Sengupta.

To keep a check on street crime, police started verifying motorcyclists across the city. Police pickets are set up at random intersection points and the antecedents of motorcyclists are checked.

“This year alone, we have verified the antecedents of 3.75 lakh bikers. The drive was initiated in February this year,” said Rajan Bhagat, police spokesman. The drive led to the arrest of 102 people with criminal antecedents.

On Wednesday, a jeweller was robbed of Rs 1.5 crore by four bike-borne armed men outside his house in Ashok Vihar when he was on the way to a bank to deposit the cash, police said.