Two gangs held as snatching cases see a surge again

Maduravoyal police seized 15 mobile phones and four motorbikes from the five-member gang, while the trio involved in the second case were arrested when they was escaping after snatching a pedestrian’s phone.

The members of the five-member gang weren identified as Shiva, Vishnu, Giridharan and Rajesh of Maduravoyal, and Mahesh of Kundrathur. The gang was arrested while police were searching for the accused in connection with a mobile phone snatching case reported on August 31. They had escaped with the mobile phone of Sathish, a carpenter from Maduravoyal at Chettiyar Agaram after requesting him to lend his phone to make a call.

Similarly, the three-member gang was nabbed by public near Guindy police station when they attempted to flee after snatching a pedestrian’s phone on Sunday night.

The accused – Muthu, Sanjay and Alatchiayppan – were remanded in judicial custody.

Even as these criminals were arrested, a series of snatching incidents were reported in Pondy Bazaar, Chintadripet, Otteri, and Washermanpet. The victims have lodged complaints and cases have been registered.

The City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan on Monday rewarded two policemen who secured miscreants who were trying to escape after snatching mobile phones in separate cases in different parts of the city. Head Constable B Vijayakumar and Constable K Ramesh attached to Washermanpet police were rewarded for nabbing Vinithkumar, a historysheeter, when he robbed a pedestrian of his mobile phone at knifepoint. Similarly, special sub-inspector D Krishnamoorthy and driver Krishnaraj, attached to Periamet police station, were rewarded for catching a minor who tried to escape with the phone of one Deen Bahadur near Rippon building on Sunday night.