Chennai police install 3,000 CCTV cameras at chain snatching' points

Chennai: In a security measure to curb the never ending chain snatching incidents in Chennai city, the east zone police, comprising 3 of the 12 police districts in the city, have installed as many as 3,000 surveillance cameras at hundreds of identified chain snatching points, a senior police officer said on Sunday.

On Sunday S. Monoharan, Joint Commissioner of Police, Chennai (East zone), said they had arrested two chain snatchers from the Chennai Central railway station for their suspected involvement in at least 23 snatching incidents.

The arrested were identified as A. Sanjay alias Vijaypaul (42) and
J. Sandeep (30), natives of Delhi who had reached Chennai by flight on July 4. Police who are on the lookout for three others, have recovered 25 sovereigns of gold and a bike from the arrested duo.

The official disclosed that they managed to nab the two with the help of CCTV footage.

“The suspects were staying in a lodge in Sowcrpet and purchased a second-hand motorbike to ride around and commit the crime,” police said. No footage of the crime was available but the police traced the suspects using the image of the bike captured from different CCTV footages of their travel routes after committing the crime.

The bike was finally spotted at the Central Railway Station, police said. The two were nabbed when they came to take the bike on Saturday evening, police said.

A special team has gone to Delhi to conduct inquiries and to nab the three persons who are still at large, said the officer, adding that the two have at least 30 cases pending in Delhi.