A day after seven women lose chains, Mysuru police intensify probe

Mysuru: Hours after seven women were targeted by bike-borne chain-snatchers on Thursday, the city police launched ‘Operation Fast-Track’ to track down the criminals. The police carried out a checking drive at all junctions and the main thoroughfares early on Friday, verifying the documents of two-wheeler users and looking for bikes without number plates or with defective numbers.
Commissioner of police, K T Balakrishna, told TOI that seven cases of chain-snatching were reported in a single day on Thursday—five in the morning in the city and two others on the border areas of Vidyaranyapuram late in the evening. In the second incident, bike-borne men escaped with the gold chains of Geetha (41) and Nagarathnamma (47), who lost 32gm and 15gm chains respectively in Vidyaranyapuram. While the morning incidents were suspected to have been done by Irani gang, the evening incidents were suspected to have been undertaken by another gang. In the evening, the two women were robbed between 8.30pm and 9pm by bikers who came from their opposite direction.
The police, meanwhile, stepped up patrolling on Garuda and Cheetah bikes to keep an eye on the movement of bike-borne youths. The police also made announcements through loudspeakers to create awareness among residents, especially those on morning stroll and involved in household chores. They were told to be cautious and cover the jewellery that they are wearing, while in public spots. The phone numbers of officers and police stations were also made public for people to contact them in case they noticed any suspicious movement by criminals.
“We have definite clue on the miscreants. We are hopeful of nabbing them as early as possible,” the commissioner said. “We have also identified escape routes and stepped up monitoring and patrolling. A total of 200 personnel have been deployed on the field apart from setting up 77 check-points. The police will continue the drive–Operation Fast-Track—in the morning and evening hours to prevent robberies,” Balakrishna said.
Footage of miscreants found
City police has seized the footage of a bike-borne gang from ten different locations. “Their movements have been recorded in CCTVs installed at residences, pharmacy and entry/exit points,” said M Muthuraj, deputy commissioner of police (law and order).
“The duo has covered their faces with helmets. The bikes they had used do not have number plates,” the DCP said. “Apart from picketing points and check-posts, 40 lurking points have been created wherein policemen in mufti will keep a watch over a movement of bike-borne youths moving suspiciously. Four teams have been formed to crack the back-to-back chain-snatchings and three teams have gone out of the district while another is probing within the city police limits,” said the DCP.