Mumbai Crime: With beer as bait, police arrest chain snatchers

Chandrakant alias Mithya Baburav Suryavanshi and Dinesh Dashrath Saknure were invited to a beer-drinking session by an informer as instructed by the police

The lure of beer was too tempting to resist for two chain snatchers, who walked into a trap laid by the police, using the drink. Their arrest on May 26 has led to the detection of over a dozen cases of theft, house breakings etc in the Western suburbs.

Police found that the two arrested accused, Chandrakant alias Mithya Baburav Suryavanshi, 38, and Dinesh Dashrath Saknure, 36, were to be convicted in 2015 for a robbery they had committed in 2012, but had fled the premises of Dindoshi court just before they were to be sentenced. Police said they fled the city, then hid in Nanded for a year or so and then came back to Mumbai, and after laying low for a while, started committing crimes again. They were seen in CCTV footage at the site of two chain snatchings in Samata Nagar, and an informer recognised them. The police used his help to trap the two.

Police asked the informer to invite the duo to a drinking session. The informer did so and then left saying he would get more beer and alerted the police, who nabbed them. Police said during questioning it was learnt that they were involved in over a dozen cases of theft, house breaking etc, some registered at Kurar police station.

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