Police say lapses only in stray cases, will act Gang from Aligarh behind snatching in GK-2, shows probe
Former cops say police must monitor snatchers on bail, break buyerseller chain, register complaints truthfully
NEWDELHI: Delhi Police on Sunday said they would look into instances where police officers may have invoked incorrect sections in cases of snatching, and described them as “stray cases”.
An HT analysis of at least 100 such FIRS showed that despite complainants informing police about their phones, money or gold chains being “snatched”, police registered the case under theft, which is not a “street crime”. Hindustan Times found such FIRS at almost all police stations across the city .
Deputy Commissioner of Police, MS Randhawa, who is the police spokesperson said, “You cannot call this a trend across the city. If there are such cases where incorrect sections have been used, we will examine those and take appropriate action.”
Randhawa also said that in cases of robbery, police file an FIR at the police station, after medical examination of the victim in each case. “Robbery is the main ‘street crime’. If anyone is hurt, the police have instructions to immediately register an FIR and nab the accused persons. This is also why robbery cases have decreased,” the officer said.
HT accessed such FIRS in the backdrop of a number of snatching cases across the city that have made headlines. Over the last two weeks, a man was murdered during a snatching attempt; a woman was violently assaulted and a couple was chased in the New Delhi area by bike-borne chain snatchers.
On Friday, a 59-year-old woman suffered injuries on her hands and shoulders while fending a resisting attempt by motorcycle-borne snatchers in south Delhi’s Jangpura.
Ajai Raj Sharma, who served as the Delhi police chief between 1999 and 2002, said that police must gain the upper hand and dominate criminals. “If police are registering cases of snatching as theft, then it is wrong. Police must deal with the snatchers head on. It requires hard work. They can do it if they want. They must prepare a list of all snatchers who are out on bail and monitor their activities. They must identify the buyers of these stolen phones or jewellery and identify the people who sell such items. They have to break the chain,” said Sharma.
But many Delhi police officers who spoke on condition of anonymity said that cases of snatching on Delhi’s streets were declining. A senior officer said cases are now grabbing headline because of CCTV cameras that record the act. “A few years ago, there were over 9,000 cases but not many were caught on CCTV. These days almost every crime is caught on camera and is shown on television so it naturally becomes big (news). There could be cases of a few police officers not registering FIRS truthfully but it must be very few. This is Delhi. People will not allow police to do such a thing. Infact they exaggerate their statement and sometimes register missing items as theft.”
Former Uttar Pradesh DG Vikram Singh said, “I am aware of the Delhi Police claim that there is a decline of 25% in street crime. The statistics do not reveal, but conceal the vitals. People are educated, and know that filing a false case can land them into trouble. If a large number of complaints are not registered truthfully, then street crimes will come down. Also, the focus must be on preventive action in nailing such criminals. IPS does not only stand for Indian Police Service but also the ‘index of people satisfaction’.” NEW DELHI: Two snatchers, arrested Saturday for targeting a Brazilian woman in Greater Kailash, have reportedly told the police that they were part of a gang based in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh. Police said the group used to strike in the Delhi-ncr and return to Aligarh to evade arrest.
Police had arrested Munawar Ali Khan, 20, and his friend Vijay Sharma, 22, both from Aligarh. The woman was targeted around 1pm on Wednesday.
Deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Thakur said with the arrest of these two men they have stumbled upon a snatching ring. “During interrogation Khan, who claimed to be the kingpin of the cartel, said that he ran a group of 6-7 men, all from Aligarh. Most of them have a criminal background, out on bail,” Thakur said.
The officer said these men used bikes stolen from outside Delhi, mostly in UP, so even if the number is known, it is difficult for the police to trace the owners.
Thakur said, Khan disclosed they tried to target a large number of people in a day and remain in Aligarh for a week to evade police radar. “They would get back to Aligarh the same day and not do anything. They would return after a week and strike again. He further told us that his men were paid money depending upon the loot. If the phones snatched were of value between ₹10,000 to ₹20,000, they got about ₹5,000. For costlier phones, the reward value went up to ₹8,000 to ₹10,000,” he said.
The DCP said the gang used to dispose of the snatched phones at local shops in Aligarh or on the outskirts. “For jewellery they had tied up with some local men who would get them a good price from some local jewellers,” Thakur said, adding that the efforts to track more members of the gang and the recipients of stolen items are being made.
Thakur said they have also apprehended a 19-year-old suspect in the CR Park snatching case in which a journalist was injured when two-bike borne men dragged her out of an autorickshaw trying to snatch her phone.