CHANDIGARH: A majority of those arrested for snatchings are
drug addicts for whom attacking women and snatching their chains is the easiest way to make a fast buck.
According to police officials, 90% of the arrested
snatchers are drug addicts, who commit the crime to fulfil their habit. Last year, police had arrested 76 snatchers and 90% of them were drug addicts. Vijay Pal Singh, former UT DSP, said drug addiction among the younger generation is a major reason behind snatchings and other street crimes in the city.
“Police have arrested drug peddlers with contraband too, but failed to check the flow of drugs in the city. Last year, police arrested some notorious snatchers and solved many cases,” said Singh.
Ravi Kumar, SP, crime branch, said drug addicts were involved in the maximum cases of snatching. “To buy drugs, the addicts generally commit snatchings and steal vehicles,” he said.
Meet the notorious snatchers in the Tricity
Sehgal brothers
Police had recently arrested two brothers Naman Sehgal, 24, and Subham Sehgal, 27, both residents of
Jalandhar. The two were caught with smack. After coming out on bail, Sehgal brothers started snatching chains and exchanged them with drugs. The crime branch of UT police arrested them in November and solved 12 snatching cases. They got bail but were arrested again in March this year. Both have been lodged in jail since then.
Bawaria gang
The crime branch had arrested three members of the Bawaria gang in March 2017 and solved 40 cases of gold chain snatchings in the city. Police had also recovered 21 gold chains from them.
Ashok Kumar, 32,
Rajesh Kumar, 23 and
Dev Kohli, 22, hailed from Bawaria village in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh. Police said they used to seek blessings of their deity before committing crimes in the city. After that, all of them switched off their mobile phones and travelled in boats from their village to cross the
Yamuna in order to avoid main roads.
Vicky snatcher
One of the most notorious snatchers in the city is a man named Vicky. The 33-year-old has been accused in 105 cases and convicted in 41. He was arrested for the first time in 2005. He was then arrested in October 2016 and released on bail in May in 2017. Crime branch arrested him again on October 7, 2017, and recovered 13 gold chains and four stolen bikes from him. Police had claimed to have solved 23 cases of snatchings and vehicle lifting with his arrest. Vicky, who used to live in a rented accommodation in Sector 46, was a fond of a lavish lifestyle. He had invested in property and owned a house in Delhi, where his wife and son live. Coming from a family of bootleggers, Vicky started selling illicit liquor but did not find it lucrative, switching to snatching chains.
Representative image 
