Cops announce reward for info

Hyderabad: The city police on Friday announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for credible information leading to apprehending of two chain snatchers. The duo had snatched gold chains weighing 15 totals, the police said.

At a press conference on Friday, City Police Commissioner M Mahender Reddy said the CC camera at Film Nagar under Jubilee Hills police station limits had captured the image of the culprits.

He said six new police teams were formed in an attempt to curb the offences of chain snatching and thefts by the gangs by diverting the attention of the people. Apart from it, a dedicated team of the Central Crime Station was given the task of arresting the culprits, he said.

He promised to ensure that the offenders are arrested. He said the culprits were using fake number plates on the vehicles to evade the police. The police were discussing with Regional Transport authorities on the ways to curb the use of fake number plates.

Though there was lesser number of incidents of crime when compared with that of last year, there was a need to treat the chain snatching offences seriously and busting the gangs.

There were as many as 217 cases of chain snatching incidents since January this year as against 427 during 2014 and 526 in 2013. The Police Commissioner said the police would provide protection to women in the city.

The women make up 50 per cent of population in the city. The chain snatching incidents created panic among them, he said. “So far, as many as 46 chain snatching offenders were booked under Preventive Detention Act in the city, the Police Commissionerate said.

Answering a query, Mahender Reddy said the police were still investigating the chain snatching offence at Osmania University in July. A 40-year-old woman from Barkathpura died when she was pulled down from her bike by chain snatchers at Osmania University on July 17.