Two habitual offenders linked to over 150 cases of snatching held in Delhi

New Delhi: Two men allegedly involved in more than 155 cases of snatching and vehicle theft were arrested by Delhi Police with the help of Facial Recognition System (FRS), officials said on Sunday.

The accused have been identified as — 32-year-old Ravi alias Karan, a resident of Uttam Nagar, and 30-year-old Akash, from West Sagarpur —, they said. Police said while Ravi is involved in more than 90 cases and is registered as a habitual offender at Kirti Nagar police station, Akash has over 65 criminal cases and is a known offender at Sagarpur police station.

A team was formed to track the two after analysing footage from more than 500 CCTV cameras across southwest, west, and northwest Delhi, a police officer said.

Facial Recognition Software was used to confirm their identities despite their efforts to avoid detection, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary said in a statement. The two were arrested while they were travelling on a stolen motorcycle in the area, allegedly preparing to commit another snatching. They were intercepted before they could flee, he said.

During interrogation the accused revealed that they changed clothes frequently after committing crimes, used helmets, and rode in a zig-zag manner to evade CCTV identification. They primarily targeted gold chains and mobile phones, he added.