A 30-year-old man was arrested for a series of chain-snatchings in local trains in February 2019. He told cops he needed the money to splurge on his gay partners. The police said the accused used to dress up like a corporate employee and steal gold chains of fellow commuters. The team caught him and handed him over to the Andheri GRP. Sub-inspector Vilas Gadve said he then confessed to committing at least 10 chain snatchings on WR and had even been convicted of the crime seven years ago. He was released on bail back then.

On October 21, 208, the Navi Mumbai police arrested the city's most wanted chain snatcher at Khalapur in Raigad, after he opened fire on the team which had gone to nab him. Rounds of gunfire were exchanged between the Navi Mumbai Crime branch and Faiyaz Khalid Sheikh, who had over 90 cases registered against him in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Palghar, Thane and Gujarat for chain snatching. In the gunfight, the accused was hit by a bullet and got injured.

In the file photo, accused Faiyaz Khalid Sheikh.

Mid-day impact: A mid-day photo helped Mumbai Police officers nab serial chain snatcher Parshuram Deju Salian alias Annu. The serial chain snatcher was arrested by the Kashimira unit of the Crime Branch on September 28, 2018, which helped them to solve 18 chain-snatching cases in Mira Road and Bhayander. Mumbai police also recovered jewellery worth Rs 13.5 lakh from him. Salian's modus operandi was that he committed the crime only at the night, and mainly targeted men. When he was arrested by the Borivali police in January 2016, they managed to solve 12 cases of chain snatching and recovered 200 grams of gold and a motorcycle from his custody. After his arrest, the Kashmira police solved 18 cases of chain snatching and recovered jewellery worth Rs 13.5 lakh from him.

The Dindoshi police on September 11, 208, arrested three robbers who used to snatch ornaments and bags from those people who would travel in auto rickshaws in the northern suburbs area of Mumbai. The arrested accused were identified as Mohd Majid Nizamuddin Khan (32), Mohd Azad Imtiyaz Shaikh (35) and Iqbal Abbas Shakh (31). The Dindoshi police laid a trap and arrested the trio and solved more than half a dozen cases of Chain and Bag snatching in the north suburbs. The police recovered a Bajaj Pulsar 220 bike, and an auto-rickshaw and fake number plate from the accused possessions. During the enquiry, it was revealed that the recovered bike was stolen from Sankina area and the official also recovered a fake number plates

On July 20, 2019, the Kashimira police chased down two chain snatchers who were involved in seven chain snatching cases in the area. Officials said the two had been committing crimes using fake number plates which made tracing them difficult. The police had checked the number plate which was caught on CCTV cameras with the RTO only to find it was a fake number. Acting on a tip-off, the team immediately rushed to the place to nab the accused but the two men started speeding the bike in order to evade arrest. The police vehicle chased them down and dashed the bike from behind in order to ensure they fall and were caught. The accused revealed that they were involved in 7 cases in Bhayander, Mira road and Kashimira police station. Police have recovered 120 grams of gold jewellery from the two accused. 

On May 26, 2018, two chain snatchers fell for a trap that was laid by the Mumbai Police in order to nab the two criminals who were involved in over a dozen cases of theft, housebreakings, chain snatching etc. The two accused were history-sheeters and were on the run. The two accused started committing crimes again and were caught via CCTV footage at the site of two chain snatchings in Samata Nagar, which led to the police laying a trap to nab them. The police asked an informer to invite the duo for a drinking session. The two accused fell for it and were later arrested by the police.

On February 9, 2018, four chain snatchers were arrested which led to the solving of 21 cases of chain-snatching in the Vasai-Virar area of Mumbai. The four accused had 18 cases of chain snatching against them in areas like Manickpur, Arnala and Tulinj which were all solved with the arrest of the four accused. The police managed to recover 275 gms of stolen gold, worth Rs 8.25 lakh. Three offences registered with Arnala police station were also solved and 110 gm of gold, worth '3.3 lakh, was also recovered.

On January 18, 2018, a serial chain snatcher, wanted in 18 cases, was apprehended by Cyberabad police. The accused identified as Amol Bala Saheb Shinde was nabbed by Hyderabad and Cyberabad police and the police managed to recover 47 tolas of gold and one bike worth Rs. 15 lakh from his possession.

On October 18, 2017, a serial chain snatcher in Kalina used a cop's bike to steal chains and commit crimes. It seems that the bikers robbed a police officer's bike and used it as a vehicle to steal. Earlier, the duo snatched a gold chain off a 66-year-old senior citizen. Locals in Kalina, Santacruz began running after the chain-snatching duo but didn't manage to nab the culprits. However, they in turn, helped a Thane police officer find his stolen bike, which had been abandoned by one of the accused during the chase. 

On October 13, 2017, the Anti-Robbery Squad arrested key accused Fatima Sanjay Irani, whose modus operandi involved using minors to commit crimes. The accused went to such an extent that she turned her own minor son into a chain snatcher. The Anti-Robbery Squad of Kalyan arrested five people, who were involved in a number of chain-snatching cases in Kalyan and Dombivli. The police learnt that it was Fatima who turned them into thieves when they were minors, because if they got caught, then they would be sent to remand homes and be out on bail easily.

On October 12, 2017, the Government Railway Police (GRP) arrested a chain snatcher, who used to target passengers travelling on harbour line. The accused, Umesh Kable, a resident of Sindhudurg district, used to snatch chains of passengers through window grills of trains plying on the harbour line. Acting on a tip-off, cops laid a trap and arrested the accused while he was getting off a train on the harbour line. During the interrogation, it was revealed that the accused had five cases of chain snatching registered with Panvel railway police against him. The accused stole jewellery worth Rs 2,63,000 from five passengers and the police managed to recover the items from him.

On September 4, 2017, chain snatchers had a run for their money when they took a mangalsutra from a woman and faced the wrath of an angry mob. The chain snatchers who were first-timers panicked and drove in circles before they were caught by the mob that started following them. The irate crowd thrashed the duo before handing them over to the police. Hemlata Singh, 26, the woman whose chain was snatched, got lucky as she got her chain back. The two accused were booked under Sections 392 (robbery) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

On August 10, 2017, Mumbai police arrested a group of thieves who changed their modus operandi and started using auto-rickshaws for chain snatching. The Govandi police managed to nab four of the accused, including two minors, for their involvement in more than a dozen cases. The minors were roped in as their fathers owned auto-rickshaws but they never got a share and were given drugs instead. The gang was involved in a number of chain-snatching incidents in Mankhurd, Delmar, Tilak Nagar, Govandi, Shivaji Nagar, Vikhroli and Kanjurmarg.

In the file photo, Ashfaq Mushtaq Ansari and Altaf Akhtar Ansari.

On July 15, 2017, a 60-year-old woman who was on her morning walk was targeted by motorcycle-borne chain snatchers in Nalasopara West.  The chain incident was captured on a CCTV camera installed at a house located on the same road. The incident took place at around 6 am at Nala D'silva Nagar when the victim, Gangu Bai Vartak, was heading home after throwing dumping garbage situated a few meters from her house. The bike-borne chain snatchers were following the victim and after some time the pillion rider got off and started following her before snatching her chain and fleeing the spot. The whole incident was captured on the CCTV camera.

In the file photo, the CCTV footage shows the accused trailing the victim before snatching the victim's chain. 

On June 22, 2017, the Mahim police arrested two members of a gang of chain snatchers, who regularly went to the Mahim dargah after they committed the crime, in gratitude. The police also found out that their modus operandi, unlike others of their tribe, was not to flee the city after committing the crime but to change their get-up, until they could strike again. After committing the crime the accused would park their bikes in lanes of residential colonies and change their get-up to deceive the police. After committing the crime, the accused would then visit the Mahim dargah to thank their saint. It was revealed that the two accused were involved in more than 50 cases. 

On May 2, 2017, two chain-snatchers were caught red-handed while trying to escape after snatching the gold chain of a senior citizen in Goregaon. The 60-year-old victim was walking on the road in front of Kumkum Shopping Centre when suddenly the duo arrived on a bike and snatched the chain she was wearing. When Gada started shouting, passersby chased the accused but failed to catch them. Two beat marshals immediately started to follow the two accused and upon reaching further they saw that the duo was stuck in a traffic jam. On spotting the cops, they tried to escape by taking a U-turn on the wrong side of the road. But both the beat marshals ran to the other side and caught hold of the accused. It was revealed that the accused had cases registered against them at Mumbra, Thane and Palghar police stations. 

On November 21, 2016, a Special Investigation Team, formed to catch a notorious chain-snatcher from Kalyan, had to disguise themselves as political workers in order to lure him out of his hiding place in Ahmednagar. The serial chain snatcher had several offences of chain snatching registered against him in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Ahmednagar. The Thane police had booked him under the MCOCA Act before he fled Mumbai. 

On October 21, 2016, a group of kabaddi enthusiasts from Vasai swooped down on a robber, who was trying to flee after assaulting and robbing a senior citizen of his gold chain. The criminal is known to target senior citizens in the area. The local kabaddi players later handed over the accused to the Manikpur police station. The accused, Ansari, 42, a resident of Kalyan Road, Bhiwandi, was booked under Sections 394 (voluntarily causing hurt when committing robbery) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

On October 16, 2016, two motorcycle-borne chain snatchers robbed a senior citizen while she was on her way home. The robbers not only made away with her two gold chains but also flashed them at the woman before they left the crime scene. The incident happened at the Mogal Lane in Mahim when the 60-year-old senior citizen was returning home after visiting a nearby laundry store. The two gold chains that the robbers fled away with were worth Rs 2.25 lakh. 

On September 14, 2016, a serial chain snatcher tried to snatch a 20-year-old woman's chain and her bag when in the midst of the struggle, the attacker realised that the gold chain was fake. This enraged the accused who then remove a blade that he was carrying in his mouth and slashed the victim's neck. The accused then fled away from the scene with the victim's chain and the bag. 

On June 5, 2016, acting on a tip-off, cops nabbed a gang of four chain snatchers — three men and one woman — from a restaurant in Malad. All four history-sheeters had several cases registered against them at various police stations across Mumbai, including Shivaji Park, Versova and Samta Nagar. Investigations revealed that besides being a criminal, one of the accused also worked as a police informer. Cops said he used his crime detection techniques implemented by the police to solve chain-snatching cases to evade arrest. He also told police that the money they made by selling the gold would be spent on food, clothes and drugs. The accused claimed that he recently took to chain snatching so that he could make enough money to marry his long-time girlfriend Punam.