Hyderabad: Authorities have deployed special teams to track down a notorious gang, which is engaged in a series of chain-snatching after a gap of 17 months.
The incidents began on June 15 when the gang targeted a woman named Ratnamma in Kesavaram under the Shamirpet police limits, at 2.30 pm and stole her 20-gm gold chain.
The gang struck again at in Anantara, where they snatched a chain from 60-year-old Satya Laxmi at 2.50 pm, who was sitting under a tree. The pillion-rider dismounted, grabbed the chain, and escaped. At Cheriyal, at around 4.30 pm, they attempted another chain-snatching.
Last year, the notorious gang, said to comprise members from the Bawaria community, was involved in a series of chain-snatching incidents in the Jawaharnagar police limits. The police had arrested three members of whom two escaped.
According to inspector S. Srinath, two of the suspects are repeat offenders with previous records of similar crimes.
The police have formed five teams to catch hold of the gang. These criminals are known to be habitual chain-snatchers from generations. They steal bikes for their crimes, and abandon the vehicles later. .
Their modus operandi involves stealing bikes to use in their crimes and abandoning them in isolated locations to avoid police detection.
However the arrest of the accused is not officially confirmed by the police. The authorities urge residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to police immediately.
In January 2023, the gang members snatched chains in eight instances in a two-hour spree, dumped their stolen bike and escaped. The accused were dressed in black, wore hand gloves and covered their face with helmets.
Two suspects from the gang then struck in Bengaluru. Twelve special teams from twin cities and a separate team from Bengaluru searched for the gang in the tribal villages of Ghumantu, Mewaiti, Saasi, Bhaatu, and Kangda in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana and northeastern states.
“At that time, we found that the Bawarias are a nomadic tribe, some of whose members are involved in criminal activities. They primarily operate across Uttar Pradesh but have been seen in Haryana and Rajasthan, where they originate. Almost all attacks involve incidents of murder, rape, burglaries and assaults,” the officer said.
There are over 100 persons in their community with similar names, and it is very difficult to identify them without the help of the local police, the police officer said.
