Snatching cases in Ludhiana city on the wane

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 19

In a sigh of relief for the residents, the snatchings are no more on the rise in Ludhiana. Not only have the cases registered a major dip, the number of arrests and recoveries in such cases has also touched a new high.

The development assumes significance as the street crime, especially snatchings, had risen considerably, leaving the residents scared and raising questions over public security.

The criminals were put under scanner and the easy strikes on the unsuspecting residents, especially women and senior citizens who were considered soft targets, were intercepted after the Commissionerate Police launched a special drive against the street crime in the last week of September.

Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar told The Tribune that the number of snatching cases dipped by over 28 per cent while the rate of tracing such cases went up from 36 per cent to 85 per cent in the past two months.

Similarly, the number of arrests nearly tripled while the recovery of snatched articles almost doubled in the areas under the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police since September 22, when Bhullar had assumed the office.

The official figures compiled by the Commissionerate Police, a copy of which is available with The Tribune, showed that 81 snatchings were reported in Ludhiana in the period of 52 days from August 1 to September 21. Of these, 29 cases were traced at a rate of 35.8 per cent.

The snatchers had taken away the valuables and articles worth Rs39.22 lakh from the victims during this period of which stolen articles worth Rs30.32 lakh were recovered from 47 snatchers, who were arrested between August 1 and September 21 at the rate of 77 per cent.

The special drive against the criminals, especially those taking to street crime, started showing results as 66 snatching cases were registered in the 59 days from September 22 to November 19. Of this, 56 snatchings were traced at a rate of 84.84 per cent.

During this period, the snatchers had done away with the valuables and articles worth Rs47.55 lakh while the Commissionerate Police recovered stolen property worth Rs71.58 lakh from 122 arrested snatchers, which accounted for 150 per cent of the total property snatched between September 22 and November 19.

CommissionerSpeaks

Our special drive against the criminals, especially those involved in street crime, has started showing results and this will continue to ensure minimum strikes and maximum public safety. The police patrolling has been stepped up and the presence of cops has been ensured in and around the busy areas, which are prone to easy strikes. The sustained interrogation of those arrested and bad elements has helped tracing maximum cases and making record recoveries. Public safety, especially of women, senior citizens and children, is our foremost priority. We request the residents to remain vigilant and inform us about the activities of suspected elements without any fear, says Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Commissioner of Police.

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