CCTVs reduce chain snatchings by half, help crack cases faster

The number of chain snatching incidents has come down by almost 50 per cent in the last three months compared to same period last year, claims police in Chennai, crediting it to the sweeping coverage by the thousands of CCTV cameras that are installed across the city. 

While 120 chain snatchings were reported in the three-month from January to March in 2018, the number has fallen dramatically to 66 in the same period this month. According to the police, the CCTVs have also helped in quickly cracking the cases: of the 66 cases reported till March, 45 have already been solved.

However, city police do not have figures on mobile phone snatching, as most of the complaints are either registered late or as loss.

“Of late, 80 per cent of offences have CCTV evidence which makes investigation easier for police,” said R Thirunavukkarasu, Deputy Commissioner (Intelligence). Earlier, police personnel would proceed with the investigation based on assumptions, draw sketch based on the eye-witness account, study the modus operandi to understand patterns, analyse fingerprints, share crime details across the State and invite inputs, rope in Crime Records Bureau officials, take into account details of those released from prisons and seek help from sources.

“Despite all that there would be a sense of doubt whether the investigation was going in the right direction. Even if the suspects are nabbed, there would still be questions in the end. But if there is CCTV footage, all we have to do is to nab the offenders. It serves as proof in the court. It can’t lie, it won’t backtrack in the court. It can’t be manipulated,” said the officer.

After the entire city was covered under CCTV surveillance, police are getting leads not just about the identity of the criminals but also their trail and hideout. “Even if the scene of crime does not have the cameras, the offenders will be nabbed by combing the footage retrieved from the locality. Their trail can be established by combing cameras nearby. One of the cameras would have captured their faces clearly, while the other will have their vehicle registration number. If subsequent cameras don’t have any trace them, the particular area will be zeroed in as their hideout, most of the times it proved right. So, police get results after combing at least 12 camera footage,” said police officials.

It would be exhausting staring the monitors for hours together, but is still better than wandering without any clues. Even in the politically sensitive cases such as the recent petrol bomb hurling in TP Chathiram, it was the CCTV footage that helped identify the suspects, which spared the department from being criticised by party members. The suspects who belong to another party were confirmed beyond doubt. After that, members of that party could not raise any charges against the police for registering case against the duo.

Not just petty offences, even murders which were staged as accidents were unearthed with the help of CCTV footage. The latest of such incidents happened in Pallikaranai. Vinoth (23) of Sivagangai, who worked at a Tasmac shop in Nanmangalam, had lent Rs 200 to Velayudham (60) of Medavakkam, since they knew each other as Velayudham often collected empty liquor bottles from the shop. In the wee hours of March 20, Vinoth murdered Velayudham by throwing a stone on his head since he did not return Rs 200. Later, he called 108 ambulance and informed that a two-wheeler ran over Velayudham’s head. While initially traffic investigation police registered a case and combed the CCTV footage, the entire episode played out in front of them. Later, the case was transferred to law and order wing and Vinoth was arrested under Section 302 (murder) and 201 (giving false  information).

In Chromepet, a woman-son duo was arrested for murdering her husband and staging it as an accident on October 14. Though the actual crime is not recorded in any camera as it took place inside their house, since the information provided by them contradicted with the CCTV footage. “The suspects - Gloria and her son Antony Vincent - said that they brought Rajan to hospital in autorickshaw in a particular direction. However, CCTV footage at the entrance of the hospital showed the auto coming in the opposite direction, police started grilling them. Also, while they claimed only Gloria and Antony Vincent brought Rajan, CCTV footage showed that Antony Vincent also got down from the autorickshaw,” said police. Later they admitted to have murdered him as he often quarrelled under the influence of alcohol.

Initially it was considered an accident - man run over by MTC bus on October 13, 2018. It was taken by Anna Square traffic investigation. But CCTV footage retrieved from the locality showed the man being beaten up by two persons. While he tried to escape from them, he came under the MTC wheels. The case was transferred to Egmore law and order wing and the two men identified as Kamal and Devan were arrested.

The initial narrative was that the couple - Vinodhini and Kathiravan - went to Tiruvanmiyur beach in the afternoon on October 13 when an unidentified gang brutally attacked him for want of their mobile phones. However, in CCTV footage no suspicious movement of people but a single man walking with a backpack on. This turned the suspicion on Vinodhini and during investigation, she admitted that it was her lover Antony Jagan who hacked Kathiravan in order to live happily ever after. Since Kathiravan succumbed to injuries, both were arrested under murder charges.