This story is from October 13, 2019

Delhi: 2,600 snatching cases since May alone

As per conservative estimates by Delhi Police, at September end around 4,762 incidents of snatching were reported out of which most were reported in last four months. In Jan and Feb, there were 1,206 incidents of snatchings following which there appeared a lull with just 903 cases between March and May. But since then there has been a spurt in snatching cases.
Delhi: 2,600 snatching cases since May alone
Representative image
NEW DELHI: In January and February, there were 1,206 incidents of snatchings. There appeared a lull when such incidents dropped to just 903 between March and May. But a sudden spurt in the four months since has taken the total figure to 4,762 at September end. This is Delhi Police's conservative assessment. The number might actually be higher if cases that went unreported or for which e-FIRs were filed are considered.
The death of at least two snatching victims in Sonia Vihar and Sagarpur underline the brazenness with which street criminals are now operating.
1

According to police records, around 20 cases of snatchings are registered every day. Because Delhi does not have a law exclusively to deal with this criminal act of suddenly seizing a valuable from a person when on the move, police bank on Section 379 (theft) and 356 (using criminal force to commit theft) of the Indian Penal Code to prosecute perpetrators. The maximum punishment is three years’ imprisonment under the first section two years in the second. But these are bailable offences.
The cops register cases under the stricter Section 392, which prescribes 10 years in jail, when snatching victims are dragged or threatened with weapons, but prosecutors concede that most cases registered in this manner fall flat in courts for lack of evidence.
The proposal to enact provisions to make snatching a non-bailable offence in Delhi — like sub-sections A and B to Section 379 incorporated by Haryana in 2014 — is still awaiting legal clearance. In the absence of a law to deal with snatching, some policemen are allegedly coaxing victims to complain through e-FIRs, a provision meant to deal with thefts that aren’t investigated with the full might of the force. When occurrence of such a practice came to light, the police commissioner asked the deputy commissioners of police in each district to ensure proper FIRs for snatchings and robberies.

Combatting snatching is often hampered by difficulty in prosecuting the accused. “While most victims do not pursue their cases, even those who do fail to identify the snatchers in test identification parades because the criminals normally wear helmets to obscure their faces,” an officer explained to TOI. “And frequently the motorcycles and phones used in the crime are stolen and of little utility in identifying the criminals.”
Another setback is the ease with which snatched jewellery is melted quickly, leaving no case property to conclusively prove a case. Not surprisingly, the accused, whenever arrested, are out of jail in a few months.
Police insiders allege that structural changes in the policing setup have affected operations and allowed a spike in street crime. For instance, the post of Crime Branch chief, occupied by a special commissioner rank officer, was merged with that of the head of the economic offences wing, evidently taking the focus away from road crime. The Inter-State Cell, once a force to reckon with in crime control, is today pursuing a few cases of cheating and forgery. The post of Special Cell head has also been lying vacant after the incumbent special commissioner left on deputation three months ago.
Read this story in Bengali
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA