Days after a chain snatching incident in broad daylight in Hanamkonda in Telangana's Warangal district was caught on camera, the police arrested two accused on Saturday.
The incident, which took place at around 5 pm on August 2, came to light after the woman whose chain was snatched filed a complaint. The police, based on the CCTV footage, arrested the two accused.
The footage shows two women walking on the Balasamudram road near Hanmakonda's Hayagreeva Chary Ground and two youngsters come speeding on a two-wheeler from behind them.
The pillion rider is seen trying to snatch a chain off one of the women's neck and she is dragged forward and falls to the ground. The police said that the second woman immediately screamed, following which the accused sped away.
The number plate of the vehicle was unclear in the footage. The two accused on the motorcycle were not wearing helmets but had covered their faces with a handkerchief.
"The incident took place near Kamakshi kitchen gallery when two people tried to snatch a chain from the victim's neck. We are verifying details via the CCTV footage as the entire incident can be seen on camera. We have registered a case against them based on a representation given by the victim," a police officer from the Subedari police station had told reporters after the incident came to light.
Speaking to TNM, Subedari SI Satish said, "We tracked the CCTV footage and managed to identify the accused before we sent a police team and nabbed them. One of them was unemployed and had dropped out of school after failing Class 10. The other accused was a mechanic."
A police case was registered under Section 356 (Assault or criminal force in attempt to commit theft of property carried by a person), 379 (Punishment for theft) read with 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
"The accused were presented in front of a local court and sent to judicial remand," the police officer added.
Watch a video of the incident below.
In December last year, the Central Crime Station (CCS) police in Warangal had arrested an organised six-member gang, which was involved in several chain snatching offences across the city.
The police recovered two bikes and gold chains weighing 64 grams, worth roughly Rs 1.6 lakh from the accused persons, three of whom were engineering students. A degree student, one minor and an auto rickshaw driver were also part of the group.