Women targeted in chain-snatching spree

Alipurduar: Alipurduar town witnessed a spate of brazen chain-snatching incidents on Sunday morning, triggering panic among residents and raising concerns over policing in the district headquarters. Within a span of nearly one hour starting around 10 am, two motorcycle-borne miscreants targeted four women at different locations before fleeing the area.

The first incident occurred around 10 am in the East Shantinganj area, where local homemaker Pinky Sarkar was standing in front of her house when two helmet-clad bikers suddenly snatched the gold chain from her neck and sped away, leaving her injured.

Soon after, the miscreants struck again in the Newtown Durgabari area. Homemaker Mita Das was sweeping her courtyard when the duo attempted to snatch her gold chain. She resisted, leading to a brief scuffle during which she fell and sustained injuries.

The chain snapped in the struggle, and the snatchers fled with a portion of it.

“Suddenly one person got down from the bike and tried to snatch my chain. When I resisted, a scuffle broke out and the chain snapped,” Mita Das said.

The third incident was reported from Beltala, where homemaker Krishna Sen’s gold chain was snatched while she was fetching water.

The final incident occurred near Birpara Chowpathy, after the miscreants crossed the Kaljani bridge, where pedestrian Anita Karmakar was targeted before they fled. Police are examining CCTV footage, and Alipurduar Police Station IC Anirban Bhattacharya said investigations have begun in all four cases. Police suspect the crimes were committed by the same two motorcycle-borne offenders, though their identity remains unclear.