Armed gang hacks conservancy worker for resisting phone robbery

According to police, a 43-year-old Chennai Corporation sweeper was hacked at Purasawalkam when he resisted the attempt of a three-member gang, which tried to snatch his cell phone. Police said M Vijayakumar, a corporation sweeper on duty, was approached by a gang which threatened him at knife-point to give his mobile phone. When Vijayakumar refused, one of the gang members suddenly hacked Vijayakumar on his head. Vijayakumar, who suffered bleeding injuries, fell on the road. The gang then took his mobile phone and escaped from the spot. 

On getting information from passers-by,  police reached the spot and rushed Vijayakumar to Royapettah Hospital. A few days ago, a 22-yearold engineer was dragged on the road, when she held on to the hands of a chain snatcher who came in an auto at Thoraipakkam. A provision store owner, who tried to save the girl, was hacked by the armed gang. In another incident, a gang had looted as many as 15 persons after threatening them at knife point between Porur and Valasaravakkam last month. “Earlier snatching had been considered as an opportunistic crime. But now it has become a planned crime and criminals carry weapons and threaten the victims with knife or injure them,” a senior police official told DTNext.