Festivals round the corner, cops fear more chain-snatchings

The recently concluded Varamahalakshmi festival contributed to the sudden spurt in chain-snatchings in the city. With more festivals lined up in the coming weeks, police fear there will be many more such incidents.

In the past two weeks, almost a dozen chain-snatchings were reported from different parts of Bengaluru. Earlier this week and on August 1 and 2, at least four chain-snatchings were reported. Besides, there were two attempted chain-snatchings in which the victims managed to hold on to the valuables. In the past, the chain-snatchers operated during certain hours — early in the morning when women step out to buy milk or go for a walk, or between 10 am and 11 am when lone elderly women would be targeted. But lately the chain-snatches are striking even in broad daylight and during rush hour.

While police are reviewing CCTV footage in areas where the incidents occurred, they strongly suspect chain-snatchers from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Some gangs from the Karnataka-Maharashtra border (Bidar and Belagavi) could also be involved.

The arrival of outside gangs started with the Varamahalakshmi festival and the chain-snatchers are likely to camp in Bengaluru until Deepavali, a senior police officer said.

In between, there is Ganesh Chaturthi, Dasara and other festivals. The chain-snatchers will aim to strike as many times as possible before fleeing the city. “We have information about these gangs and are working to catch them,” he added. Police believe these gangs have picked areas around temples in localities such as Banashankari, Basavangudi, Jayanagar, Vijayanagar, Mal­leswaram and Yeshwantpur for their operations. Southern, western and northern police divisions have reported more chain-snatchings than others.

According to the officer, it’s surprising that chain-snatchers have managed to strike at will despite stricter police patrols. The beat patrolling system at each police station has been restructured and well-equipped Hoysala (patrol cars) are seamlessly connected to the Namma 100 helpline, but the chain-snatchings continue unabated, the officer said.