Palarivattom cops nab chain snatchers

[1]

The Palarivattom police on Monday arrested three men on charges of snatching gold chains and stealing motorbikes.

The arrested were identified as Siby, 32, of Chalikyavattom, Navas, 36, of Aluva and Suresh alias Chenda Suresh,38, of Eroor.

The trio had been in the habit of snatching gold chains from senior citizens after following them on bikes, which were invariably stolen, the police said.

The three had been targeting old motorbikes, which could be easily unlocked. “Once they steal a bike, they drive slowly through pocket roads, waylay elders and snatch their chains. In most cases, the victims are too old or feeble to resist their attacks”, said the police.

The gang’s latest attempt was to snatch the chain of Ammu, a 75-year-old woman who lives near Ponnurunni. However, she noted that the last digits of the bike’s registration number were 1 and 7.

She told the police that the bike looked very old. The police tracked all the motorbikes registered between 1998 and 2002 that had a registration number ending in 17.

Fortunately, a man had reported that his Hero Honda bike, with the registration number ending in 17, had been missing for the last two weeks.

The police had been searching for the bike since then. Following a tip-off, the cops found the bike near Oberon Mall on the bypass on Monday and nabbed the gang. The three were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.