Financial distress: Two held for chain snatching in Hyderabad

Hyderabad : A sales executive and a cab driver, facing financial problems triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, were arrested for chain snatching in two separate incidents in Greater Hyderabad, police said on Saturday.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwath confirmed the arrest of the accused by the police under the limits of Malkajgiri and Neredmet police stations.

G. Ravi Kumar, who lost his marketing job recently due to Covid-19, was caught by a passersby when he was fleeing after snatching a gold chain from a woman in Defence Colony, Neredmet on Friday.

According to police, the 28-year-old was indulging in betting on ongoing IPL matches by borrowing money from his friends. He had borrowed Rs. 10 lakhs from his friends and lost in betting. As his friends were pressuring him to repay the loans, he decided to try his hand at chain snatching.

He followed a woman who was walking alone and snatched a gold chain from her neck. While fleeing he was caught by three passersby and handed him over to police.

In the second incident, S. Ravi Kumar, a cab driver was arrested by Malkajgiri police for chain snatching. The 30-year-old snatched a gold chain from a woman at a building in Chanikyapuri colony on September 30. After committing the crime, he fled on his scooty.

Police with the help of CCTV footage identified the accused and arrested him on Saturday. During interrogation the accused confessed to have committed the offence in order to overcome financial problems due to the pandemic.