Outskirts are greener pastures for snatchers

With the help of CCTVs, chain snatching cases down in city

As the police implement measures to curb the occurrence of chain snatchings in the city, offenders move towards the outskirts. Cops say that through the installation of CCTV cameras and the invocation of the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against repeat offenders, they have been able to bring down the number of cases of chain snatching reported in the city.

However, with the outskirts yet to be brought under CCTV surveillance, they present the ideal location for offenders to operate in.

A senior police official from the Hyderabad Commissionerate, on condition of anonymity, said that chain snatchings were

AS OUTSKIRTS are yet to be brought under CCTV surveillance, they present the ideal location for offenders to operate in.

rampant in the city until 2015. People remained in fear, especially during the evenings and nights, which was when the maximum number of cases were reported.

The city police were able to identify vulnerable areas and increase patrolling in those areas. Additi-onally, CCTV cameras were also installed. “These measures and the anti-snatching teams working at the individual police station level have helped control the occurrence of chain snatchings. Many repeat offenders have been detained under the PD Act, and this has also brought about a considerable change,” he said.

These moves, however, seem to have prompted chain snatchers to begin targeting localities on the outskirts of the city. With the roads on the outskirts being comparatively free of traffic, it is easier for them to make an escape after committing the offence. An official said that CCTV cameras were yet to be installed in many areas in Rachakonda and Cyberabad, which posed an additional advantage to the chain snatchers.

“For the time being, we are improving visible policing and increasing the frequency of patrolling and blue colt vehicles in colonies that have been identified as vulnerable,” the official said.