Snatching menace continues; women, elderly soft targets as jewellery thefts rise

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Chain-snatching incidents continue unabated in the city, with four people including three women targeted in the last 24 hours. With gold prices rising, criminals are increasingly targeting elderly women and pedestrians wearing jewellery. In an incident at N-1 Chowk, a woman fell and was injured after her gold chain was snatched by bike-borne thieves. The surge in such crimes has raised serious concerns over policing and the effectiveness of local crime branch teams.

Last week, seven such incidents within 48 hours had already created panic, and the trend has continued. On April 19 around 10 pm, Vatsala Shinde and her daughter-in-law were travelling on a moped when miscreants on a sports bike snatched a 3-tola gold chain near N-1 Chowk, causing Shinde to fall and sustain injuries. A case has been registered at MIDC Cidco police station.

The same night, another woman was robbed in the M-2 area while walking. Within 12 hours, a similar incident occurred in Bhagwati Colony, where a gold chain and a tulsi necklace were stolen.

In a separate case, burglars broke into a house in Pratapgad Nagar and stole gold and silver ornaments and idols.

Meanwhile, a young boy was assaulted and robbed near Cidco Chowk, further highlighting the growing law-and-order concerns in the city.