Snatchers strike again, four lose mobile phones

The incidents were reported at Abhiramapuram, Royapettah and Mylapore from 4 pm to 9 pm, and the identities provided by the victims were similar, which made the police suspect that this was the handiwork of a single gang.

One of the victims, Nagarjun (23), a resident of MGR Nagar and a private bank employee, was targeted by the snatchers when he stepped out of the office after work around 4 pm on CP Ramaswamy Salai. Two men on a bike, without helmets, snatched his phone worth 15,000 and sped away from the spot. The men did not wear helmet but Nagarjun couldn’t notice their faces as they went past him very fast, said police. 

Based on his complaint Abhiramapuram police have registered a case. Two hours later, the same gang struck at Mylapore and robbed mobile phones from two persons. Around 7.50 pm, I Sarathi (25) of Mylapore was walking past Mundakanni Amman temple, when the duo snatched his phone worth Rs 27,000. 

Within minutes, P Arumugam (50) of Pallaku Managar in Mylapore was relieved of his mobile phone worth Rs 18,000. Arumugam told police that one of the accused was wearing a green colour shirt. 

Around 9 pm, another phone worth Rs 15,000 was snatched from a pedestrian a few metres away from Royapettah police station. The victim, R Sekar (26) of Andhra Pradesh, had come to Chennai with friends for work. When he stepped out for dinner, the duo snatched his phone and escaped from the spot. Based on his complaint, Royapettah police have registered a case. 

A police officer told DTNext that a special team has been formed under Mylapore Deputy Commissioner P Saravanan to nab the snatchers.  This is the second series of mobile phone snatching incidents that were reported in the city, after the Iranian gang went on a spree last week. 

The police finally managed to arrest the gang members from the city and also from Andhra Pradesh. 

The incidents, which continued despite steps like the storming operation in which several history-sheeters were arrested, and also formation of crime prevention wing to ensure more vigil during the night, show that the petty criminals are hardly deterred by these efforts.

Man held for sedating, stealing techie’s chain

Nearly four months after a techie lost his gold chain after being drugged by a man claiming to be an accountant, police have arrested the suspect with the help of CCTV footage. Police nabbed V Sumesh of Kerala from a lodge in Mannadi. According to investigators, Sumesh advertised online claiming to be a chartered accountant and gave his name as Naveen Kumar. 

On February 19, R Bharadwaj (36) of Valasarakkam, a software professional, approached Sumesh regarding some doubts in filing his income tax returns. Sumesh asked Bharadwaj to visit a lodge in Karambakkam where he was staying. Police said Sumesh mixed sleeping pills in the juice that was served to Bharadwaj. When he fell unconscious, Sumesh took his 3.5 sovereign gold chain and escaped from there.