Journalism of Courage
Chain snatchers,who have been on the loose in the city for some time now,struck again on Saturday. This time,they targeted a newly elected BJP woman corporator and three others. The corporator,Manisha Ghate (37),had a narrow escape as she fell from a bike when two persons tried to snatch her gold chain at Sinhagad Road. In one of the three other cases,an alert citizen and a traffic cop managed to nab two suspects.
Since January 1,more than 70 cases of chain snatching have been registered in the city.
Senior inspector Vijaysinh Gaikwad of Dattawadi police station said,Ghate sustained injuries in the incident. However,her husband and son escaped unhurt. On their way to the police station,Ghate found her chain lying on the road. There was no CCTV camera installed near the spot. Ghate told us that she and her husband could not see the bikers clearly.
In another case,an alert citizen and a traffic cop on duty nabbed two persons,both with a past criminal record,after they snatched the gold chain of a 42-year-old Sahakarnagar resident. According to a Swargate police officer,the victim,Manini Kamble,was on her way home around 10.30 pm when two persons snatched her gold chain. When she raised an alarm,V K Kakde,the traffic cop and Sagar Wagh,a resident of the area started chasing the two. Kakde nabbed one suspect,Nitin Ahankari (19). A while later,Kakde and Wagh caught the other suspect,Rajesh Mane (22),the police said.
In another incident at 4.30 pm,a 57-year-old Pakkibai Chaudhari was robbed of her gold necklace worth Rs 1.3 lakh by two persons on a bike in Khadki.
In Kothrud,chain snatchers robbed 72-year-old Shailaja Agashe of her gold mangalsutra and a necklace near Ideal Colony.
