Chain snatching detection rate dips this year

Even as the Navi Mumbai police have marginally managed to reduce instances of chain snatchings in the region, the detection rate of the cases dipped to 8.9% this

Even as the Navi Mumbai police have marginally managed to reduce instances of chain snatchings in the region, the detection rate of the cases dipped to 8.9% this year. The police recorded 81 cases till September this year, out of which, only 11 cases have been solved.

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Last year in the same period, the Navi Mumbai police had registered 107 cases of chain snatchings and solved 82 of them with a detection rate of 87.7%.

Local police officers claimed that cases have reduced because of intensive policing this year.

“We have increased visible policing in chain-snatching prone areas during early morning and late evening hours when the suspects are likely to target people taking advantage of low footfall,” said Sanjeev Dhumal, inspector at Vashi police station.

In Vashi, chain snatchers enter from Govandi and Mankhurd slums.

After the police learnt that Vashi bridge was as the most-used entry and exit point for robbers, the police set up checkpoints near the Vashi toll booth.

Pankaj Dahane, deputy commissioner of police, zone I, said the efforts have resulted in bringing down incidents of chain-snatchings.

“Apart from increasing our patrolling frequency on streets, we have also strengthened our checkpoints in Mumbai and Thane areas connecting Navi Mumbai. After studying a few areas, we have started surprise checks and patrolling to prevent incidents,” said Dahane.

Dahane added that cases will be solved soon as investigations into various cases are still going on.

As most of the suspects follow the same modus of targeting elderly women walking along isolated areas, the police have been conducting awareness campaigns to urge locals to be alert when walking on roads.

Officials said bikers use different modus, from stopping to ask for directions, to distracting pedestrians by telling them their money has fallen down. In some cases, like in Kharghar last week, three women were robbed by the same chain snatcher in a span of 30 minutes.

CASE RECAP

Three women, including a senior citizen, were robbed of their gold chain by an accused in a span of 30 minutes in Kharghar on Thursday. The man stole jewellery collectively worth around ₹1 lakh.

The Kharghar police learnt of the serial chain snatcher on Friday when 64-year-old Shakuntala Kale approached them to lodge a complaint. Kale told the police that she was taking a walk near her apartment in sector 19 around 9.30 pm when a biker robbed her gold mangalsutra worth ₹30,000.

“The description she gave matched with that of the accused who had robbed another woman of her chain in the same area around the same time,” said an officer from Kharghar police station.

The same biker targeted another 52-year-old woman.

The police have registered a case of robbery against the unknown biker and are checking the CCTV footage of all three areas to trace the accused.