Tamil Nadu   

The rural, urban divide

Chain snatchers give enough head ache to the city police and gangsters in rural areas, writes R. Ilangovan

THE SALEM City Police and Rural Police have two different problems on their hands to tackle. While the city police personnel have to remain alert against the elusive chain snatchers, their counterparts in rural areas are facing a much more formidable task of tracing gangs who target isolated farmhouses.

Fifteen such incidences have taken place in the Salem range in which two lives have also been lost.

The recent robbery in a village near Edapadi has forced the law enforcers to launch a massive manhunt for the culprits. A four- member gang who came in a motorbike to the house of a teacher located in the middle of the sugarcane field in the village, whipped up knives and injured occupants before decamping with jewellery and cash. The teacher was beaten up and gagged. The others were herded into a room. Later they fled the scene with the booty worth about Rs. 2 lakhs. The housemates told the police that the gangsters wore masks and spoke in fluent Tamil.

Preliminary investigation, according to a senior police official, has revealed the possible involvement of a few notorious criminals belonging to `nomadic tribes.' These gangsters are active in the districts of Perambalur, Cuddalore and Salem range. A thorough search of the dossiers on these habitual criminals points towards the involvement of `Trouser dacoits,' who acquired this dubious sobriquet as they used to wear half pants at the time of committing the crime.

These robbers often remain untraceable as they use to hop from one district to another immediately after an incident to hoodwink the police of various districts before they could sit together and evolve a common strategy against them.

But this time the Salem Range Police has decided to put an effective stop to these terror-causing gangs. On the guidance from its DIG Sandeep Rai Rathore, who has now been transferred to Chennai, 14 special teams have been formed. They have fanned out to different parts of the State. "They are now right on target. This time these anti-socials cannot escape our net," an official said confidently.

On the contrary, the City Police is hard pressed against the chain snatchers.

Despite a tight vigil, many of these criminals manage to escape in their speedy motorbikes by exploiting the `golden period' when the victims remain frozen in terror after the crime.

While the police could nab the `established' ones in this field of crime, the fresh criminals continue to join the formidable list to make the policemen sweat.

Speeding bikes and non-burning of street lights are the added advantages for these snatchers who prowl in dark street corners where women generally become soft targets. A foolproof preventive mechanism is being evolved and special squads are out on the streets to ensnare these elusive snatchers.

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