Specific clause under BNS may help curb snatchings in capital

New Delhi: The menace of snatching in Delhi may soon be curbed with the newly enacted Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) having a dedicated law to deal with the crime. Till now, snatchers are booked under a police-enacted provision of combining two sections of the prevailing Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 304 of BNS deals specifically with snatching. According to this Act, a theft is snatching if the offender “suddenly or quickly or forcibly seizes or takes away from any person or from his possession any movable property.” The offence is punishable with up to three years’ imprisonment.Investigators agreed that a dedicated law to deal with snatching was the need of the hour, given the rise in the number of this crime over the years. Many years ago, Haryana had brought in amendments to the existing laws to have specific sections to deal with snatching. “Haryana had brought in two additions to Section 379 (theft) — 379A and 379B — making snatching a non-bailable crime. Section 379A has made snatching punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than five years, which may extend to 10 years and a fine of Rs 25,000. Section 379B provides for a rigorous imprisonment not less than 10 years, extendable to 14 years and a fine of Rs 25, 000,” said an officer.Delhi Police, too, had been contemplating a similar addition, but things did not go beyond conception despite many cops, including top officers, making efforts to get the files moving. Till now, snatchers are booked by a combination of IPC sections 379 (theft) and 356 (assault or criminal force during theft). The maximum punishment under the first section is three years; under the second, it’s two.The cops are hopeful of things getting better with the introduction of BNS by the year-end. In the capital, over 25 snatchings are officially recorded every day. The actual number, sources said, could be much higher with many victims not reporting the crime, some filing the complaint online and some never finding it to the registration stage.Proving snatching in court under a “jugaad provision” has been tricky. “Snatching cases have a poor conviction rate as most victims do not pursue the case, and often suspects are not identified through the test identification parade,” said an investigator. “Often, snatchers have helmets on, while the motorcycles and phone used in the crime turn out to be stolen, making identification difficult.”
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