Chain-snatchers strike at six places in one day

Hyderabad: Chain-snatchers struck at six places in the city on Monday and escaped with 23 tola gold. In a related development, a lone robber snatched away six tola gold chain of a housewife at Saroornagar by posing as a prospective tenant.
In the first incident, which happened at 7.20 am at NGOs Colony in Vanasthalipuram, two bike-borne offenders snatched away a 5.5 tola gold chain of 50-year-old housewife Alivelu Manga when she was sweeping in front of her house."I held my Mangalsutra tight and part of it remained in my hand," Manga told TOI.
The gang struck for the second time in the same colony at 7.40 am and snatched away a 3.5 tola gold chain of 70-year-old housewife Kusuma Kumari when she was standing near the gate of her house. "A guy came towards me, snapped the Mangalsutra, hopped on a waiting bike and sped away," Kumari told media personnel.
At 8.15 am, the gang struck again, this time at Dwarakamayi Colony in Vanasthalipuram, about two to three kilometres away from NGOs Colony and snatched away a four-tola gold chain from housewife Krishnaveni while she was returning home after dropping her children at school. The fourth incident happened at 9.30 am at Saraswati Nagar Colony of Saidabad. The two thieves riding on a black bike snatched away a 5.5 tola gold chain of a 70-year-old housewife Dameramma while she was walking near her house.
Police suspect that the same gang was involved in all the four incidents. However, the police of the two commissionerates, despite having specially-trained anti-snatching teams and interceptor vehicles, could not locate the offenders.
While cops are frantically searching for the chain snatchers, cocking a snook at them, the bike-borne thieves struck at two colonies in Chaitanyapuri police limits around 8.30 pm and fled away. At 8.30 pm, the thieves snatched away the 2.5 tola gold chain of 70-year-old housewife Ramadevi at Alkapuri Colony and a few minutes later they stole the two tola mangalsutra of 40-year-old housewife Sarada at New Nagole. Both the women were walking on the street when the offences took place .
Earlier during the day, a lone robber entered the house of a 60-year-old housewife Ramalakshmi at Saroornagar when she was alone. The robber gained entry into the house by posing as a prospective tenant and snatched away Ramalakshmi's six tola gold chain.
"There are no CCTV cameras where the offences occurred, but we are checking the available camera recordings in the nearby places," Vanasthalipuram inspector (detective) P Lakshmikanth Reddy said. All the victims suffered minor injuries on their necks and cases were registered under Section 382 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).