Pune: The city witnessed a troubling surge in chain-snatching cases on Sunday, May 25, with three separate incidents reported from different areas. First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered at the Hadapsar, Chandan Nagar, and Airport police stations. All three cases involved the theft of gold jewelry, highlighting growing concerns about street crimes targeting women and senior citizens in Pune.
In the first case, a shocking incident occurred in Hadapsar where a senior citizen was attacked inside his office. The complainant, Bhalchandra Vinayak Kulkarni (65), a resident of Manjari Budruk, was alone in his office near Gaadital around 10 a.m. when an unidentified man entered through an open door. The assailant threw chili powder into Kulkarni’s eyes, struck his knee with a sharp object, and forcefully snatched a gold chain valued at ₹90,000. The thief fled the scene in the rain. Due to the suddenness of the assault, the victim was unable to recognize the culprit. A case has been registered at Hadapsar police station.
In the second incident, a woman riding her two-wheeler near Sai Krishna Hotel on Kharadi Road became the target of two bike-borne thieves. Smita Dattatray Rane (56), a resident of Chandan Nagar, was attacked around 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, May 24. The assailants approached her from behind and snatched her gold chain worth ₹2.75 lakh before speeding away. The Chandan Nagar police are investigating the case, led by Police Sub-Inspector Chougule.
The third incident took place in the Viman Nagar locality, where another woman fell victim to chain snatchers while waiting for a rickshaw. Vaishali Vaibhav Achha (52), a resident of Viman Nagar, was standing near her home on May 25 when two individuals on a motorcycle snatched her gold and diamond jewelry estimated to be worth ₹2.45 lakh. The Airport police have registered the FIR, and Assistant Police Inspector Chandan is handling the investigation.
These back-to-back incidents have raised concerns among residents and posed a fresh challenge to local law enforcement. Police have launched investigations in all three cases and are working on identifying the suspects through CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts.
