The crime branch unit-4 busted a notorious gang of bike-borne chain snatchers involved in around 25 such cases registered in various police stations in the city. Five persons, aged between 19 to 21 years and residents of Sion and Antop Hill areas, have been arrested. The accused used to roam on their bikes and identify vulnerable pede-strians before swooping down and snatching their valuables.
According to senior PI Vinayak Vast, the accused were arrested in a trap laid near the Killa Garden area in Sion. “We also seized three motorcycles from them. They were involved in cases at Matunga, Sion Antop Hill, RAK Marg, Wadala TT, Kalachowki, Bandra, Khar and Mahim police stations. They resold the stolen goods, including gold chains and cellphones in the black market. Efforts are underway to recover some of the stolen goods,” said Mr Vast.
The accused have been identified as Sonu Mariappan Devendra (21), Vinayak alias Changya Chandrakant Kallure (19), Murgesh Ayyappan Devendra (19), Munil Dilip Sahani (20) and Ravi Kanakraj Mudliyar (20). All are residents of the Sion, Koliwada and Antop Hill areas.
“The entire region from Matunga, Sion, Wadala TT, Antop Hill, Kalachowkie and Bhoiwada had become notorious for chain snatching incidents. Our officers visited various police stations and gathered information on various crimes registered at their police stations. We then identified the accused through our informants and held them. They confessed to the crimes during interrogation,” said a crime branch officer.
Officers have, however, said the accused do not seem to be a part of an inter-state racket.