By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Snatchers in Patna have found a way to outsmart the city’s ongoing Patna police patrolling and checking campaigns by shifting their activities to the afternoon. Despite heightened police presence during morning, evening, and night patrols, criminals have begun targeting individuals during midday. On Wednesday, within just two hours, four chain snatching incidents were reported between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in different parts of the city, including Shastri Nagar, Secretariat, and Jakkanpur.
In Shastri Nagar alone, two incidents were reported. The first involved Sapna Kumari, a PhD student at BD Evening College, who was travelling with her husband, Dr. Srikant, on a motorbike. As they approached Paras Hospital on Bailey Road flyover, two bike-riding criminals snatched the gold chain from Sapna’s neck and sped off towards Rajvanshi Nagar. Sapna informed the police that the miscreants had first attempted the theft on the flyover but failed. Determined, they pursued her and eventually succeeded in snatching the chain. Despite a long chase by the couple, the criminals managed to escape.
The second incident in the same area occurred near Ramnagari Turn, where two bike-riding criminals snatched the chain from Divyang woman, Urvashi Nayan, who was on her way to the bank on a tricycle.
In a separate incident at Shastri Nagar, miscreants targeted Ranju Kumari, a school teacher from Nahu village, Rajgir. Ranju had come to collect her original intermediate certificate from the BSEB office. After getting down from an auto on Bailey Road, near the Rajvanshi Nagar Hanuman Temple, two men on a bike approached her from behind and snatched her gold chain before fleeing. Ranju’s son, Harshit Raj, an architect engineer in Patna, was waiting for her near the temple when the incident took place on the opposite side of the road.
The fourth reported incident occurred in the Jakkanpur police station area, where local businessman Kashi Gupta was targeted. As Kashi parked his motorbike outside his home and started walking towards his lane, two bike riders approached him and snatched the gold chain from his neck. This incident was captured on CCTV, and Jakkanpur police are currently investigating.
In all four cases, the police have registered complaints, and investigations are underway. However, the string of midday crimes has raised concerns about the effectiveness of police patrolling efforts and the adaptability of criminals in evading law enforcement.
