Snatchers Strike As Festive Crowds Swell; Seven Incidents In Five Days In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): With festive crowds thronging markets and shopping centres during Navratri, incidents of loot and snatching have become a growing concern for Bhopal police. Seven such incidents have been reported across the city in the past five days, raising questions about public safety and the effectiveness of police patrolling.

Operating in different parts of the city, the snatchers and robbers appear to be following a similar modus operandi. They conduct a recce of their targets, follow them and strike when they find them distracted. Mobile phones, purses and gold chains are among their preferred targets. After committing the crime, the snatchers flee swiftly.

In several such cases, miscreants use motorcycles or scooters bearing fake or missing number plates. They also cover their faces with helmets or clothes to avoid identification. Markets, malls and crowded shopping areas are among their preferred areas, with the suspects choosing locations that have easy escape routes.

In the latest incident, Pradeep Yadav was buying vegetables at the 'Sabzi Mandi' crossing in the Ashoka Garden area when two scooter-borne miscreants allegedly snatched his mobile phone and fled.

On Wednesday morning, three men allegedly assaulted a 60-year-old auto-rickshaw driver near Barrai village in Katara Hills, snatched his wallet and fled with his vehicle. Police registered a robbery case against history-sheeter Ajay Golden and his accomplices.

On Tuesday, a gold chain was reportedly snatched from Shailendra Gupta outside Barkatullah University in Bagsewania area.

On Monday night, the wife of AIIMS doctor Utkal Priyadarshi was robbed of her purse by motorcycle-borne miscreants near DB Mall. The purse contained two mobile phones and ATM cards. A doctor buying vegetables in the Chhola Mandir area was robbed of his gold chain by motorcycle-borne men on Sunday evening. On Saturday night, milkman Alok Yadav was allegedly injured with a knife before miscreants robbed him of his purse in Bajaria.