Day after, chain-snatching cases altered to robbery, one held

Following questions about booking chain-snatchers under the lenient section of ‘theft’ in two cases – the shocking visuals of which went viral on social media platforms, the city police on Monday altered the sections to charge them under Section 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code, which attracts more stringent punishment.

Also, as the visuals of the helpless women shocked the city, the police swung into action and secured a youth in connection with one of the cases, on Monday night. “Both Kundrathur and CMBT police stations were directed to alter the Sections from IPC 379 (theft) to 392 (robbery), on Monday,” a senior police officer told DT Next . “These kind of dragging can end in serious injuries, and can even turn fatal,” he noted. The visuals of the two violent incidents in which victims were dragged on the road by the criminals as they snatched chains, led to furore among the people on Sunday. 

One video of Sunday morning incident, showed Menaka Venkatesan (52), of Natarajan Street, Washermanpet, who was in Arumbakkam to attend a marriage function, being dragged by the snatcher riding pillion on a bike. 

In the second video, the victim, Jayasree (57) was walk ing along with her husband, Ashok Kumar, when a youth following them got hold of her chain and pulled it. She fell down on the road and got dragged a few feet. 

However, the local stations continued to record such violent attacks as mere thefts and not as a robbery (involving physical assault), which entails more stringent punishment. Only after senior officers pulled up the station heads did the robbery section get included in the FIR. Police sources said a youth suspected in the Kundrathur case has been secured, while CMBT station team investigating the Arumbakkam case said the suspects would be nabbed in two days.