23 January,2011 07:08 AM IST | | Sayed Roshan
Bandra residents looking for a reason to skip exercise may just have found of an excuse for their laziness. Joggers who frequent Carter Road have had to deal with the fear of being accosted by a chain snatcher.
For the last seven months, the Carter Road stretch that's lined on one end by thick mangroves, has been home to a chain snatcher who targets joggers before disappearing into the thickets.
A sign warns pedestrians of chain snatchers. Pic/ Datta Kumbhar
This has lead to the stretch falling silent after 9 pm. What's turning to be an embarrassment is that fact that most incidents of chain and bag snatching have occurred just 100 metres away from the Additional Commissioner's sea-facing office.
Several complaints have been lodged with the Khar Police station. Attempts by the police to patrol the area in civil dress have proved unsuccessful, and they haven't been able to produce a sketch of the suspect so far since most victims have been unable to see him clearly in the dark.
The police say the chain snatcher seems to know his way around the mangroves. Nida Khan, a regular jogger on the Carter Road promenade, says "It's a scary thought.
The police needs to take stern action, and fast." A security guard posted on Carter Road, on request of anonymity, said, "It's been a common occurrence for the last seven months, and the police have failed to nab him because the thick mangroves offer him ready shelter."
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A police official from Khar police station said, "Our efforts are on. Several policemen in civil dress have been deployed to comb the area around the mangroves in the evening."
