Giving a tough task to the Brahmapur police, an organised gang of chain snatchers, believed to be members of an inter-State gang of looters, has spread panic in the city by following various modus operandi to commit the crime.
On the recent occasion of Kartik Purnima, the gang had snatched gold chains from 11 women worshiping in different temples of the city. After getting information regarding series loot of chains in temples, the police had started investigation into the matter. The police later examined the CCTV footages of the Trimurty Jagannath Mandir at Bada Bazaar and found some women looting chains from women devotees. The police had immediately formed a team to nab the culprits. The team detained a woman and knew about the eight-member gang.
According to Brahmapur SP Sarthak Sarangi, the police had sent a five-member team to Khordha and Bhubaneswar to nab the culprits. Though the team could not arrest the looters, they got very important information regarding their blueprint of chain snatching and other organised crimes, he added. The Brahmapur police informed the Government Railway Police (GRP) to keep eye on the movement of the culprits and the latter have started conducting raids at different places to nab the looters, police sources said.
Notably, within three days, the looters snatched chains of two women devotes at the Ramalingeswar temple under the Town police limits, Mangalsutras of four women devotees at Trimurty Jagannath Mandir, gold necklaces of three women at Balunkeswar temple, one each from the Courtpeta Jagannath temple and the Station Road. “Chain snatching has become a common thing in the city. Surprisingly, criminal gangs use women in these petty crimes to avoid public suspect which is very dangerous,” said a resident of Bada Bazaar.