Snatchers rattle Panchkula, strike 20 times this year

PANCHKULA: Residents have blamed zero police presence in sectors for the spurt in snatching cases in Panchkula, slamming the cops for failing to curb the crime despite the Punjab and Haryana high court directions.
Twenty snatching cases have rocked the city since January. Police have so far managed to catch only one snatcher. All the incidents happened in broad daylight.

In a new case, a purse of a woman resident of Sector 15 was snatched by two miscreants on a motorcycle near her house on Tuesday night. Preeti Chauhan, 25, said she was coming from Sector 15 market when one of the men came near her and asked about an address. As she was giving him directions, he snatched her purse, pushed her and fled with his partner on their bike around 8.15pm.
Preeti said, “The man riding the motorcycle was wearing a helmet, but the pillion rider was not. I am now afraid of going outside alone. City roads are unsafe.” Her purse contained Rs 1,000, two ATM cards, and her Aaadhar card and a mobile phone with two SIM cards, police said.
Police a case under Section 379 A (snatching) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 14 police station. Sector 15 police post in-charge Harinder Singh, the investigating officer, said, “Police teams are working to solve the case.”
On the rise in snatchings, Panchkula deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Rajender Kumar Meena said only two cases have been reported since he joined on April 25. “My team has collected scientific evidence from spots where the incidents occurred before I joined and are working on them to nab the snatchers. We have arrested a person in relation to a case. The accused has confessed to have committed three to four snatchings in the city.” A special team from crime branch, Sector 19, led by an inspector-level officer has been formed to catch snatchers, he added.
S K Nayar, president, Citizens Welfare Association, said, “There is hardly any presence of cops in sectors. Such incidents leave the victims scarred for life.” R K Aggarwal, president, residents welfare association, said, “Residents cannot step out or sit outside their homes. Policing is missing.”