Almost half of snatching cases in Delhi go unsolved

NEW DELHI: A day after Delhi Police arrested two men for snatching the handbag of Prime Minister’s niece, other snatching victims have taken to the social media asking Delhi Police to be proactive in solving their cases as well.
According to police data, only half the snatching cases registered till September 30 this year were cracked. Out of the 4,762 cases registered, 2,686 were solved.

In a tweet, one of the victims Ashish Dixit tagged the Delhi Police on Monday saying that he was robbed two years back, and after much pursuation an FIR was registered, but nothing happened thereafter till today.He also took a dig at the swiftness shown by cops in the case involving the PM’s niece.
Police sources blame non-recovery of stolen items for the low success ratio in solving snatching cases. “Since recovery of the stolen items is a crucial evidence, most snatchers manage to go scot-free as almost all items are sold or dismantled within a few days of committing the crime,” said a police official on condition of anonymity.
The couple who was robbed at Connaught Place at gunpoint a few weeks back too tweeted about the slow progress of their case. However, they got a call from the special cell informing them that the criminals involved in the robbery were caught after an encounter with cops in Nizamuddin.
Police officers say that in about 80% of the cases, the criminals involved in snatching are found to be first-time criminals who go on a snatching spree until they are caught. Their loot mainly involves mobile phones, gold chains and cash that have a minimal recovery rate.
“Since snatchers are booked under the sections of theft and forceful theft, the recovery of the stolen goods and connecting it to the victim’s complaint are an essential part of the investigation. If the recovered booty cannot be connected to the victim’s belongings, that case is considered to be unsolved,” said a police officer.
Former cops, meanwhile, say that a shift from the traditional method of policing is one of the main reasons behind the low rate of solving snatching cases. Earlier, physical raids at areas where the stolen goods are sold/disposed would take place frequently. However, with shift from the traditional policing, such raids have become rare these days.
The criminals sell off the snatched mobile phones in the grey market, while gold jewellery is melted into bricks and sold to jewellers.
According to Delhi Police, mobile phones are snatched in half the reported cases, and gold chains or mangalsutras in 23% cases. The rest of the snatched items comprise bags, laptop and briefcases which are disposed by the criminals immediately after committing the crime.
While local police say that they are burdened with other issues like law and order, piling up cases reflect poorly on specialised units like the Crime Branch and Special Cell. Sources said that many crucial posts are vacant, but officers are not being posted.
Cops, however, were able to solve more cases of robbery— of 1,558 cases registered in 2019, 1,407 were solved.