Chain-snatchers imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each

“Looking at the fact that the accused are poor and as they have to look after their family and further that the complainant has got her her mangalsutra back,it is just to impose fine of Rs 1000 each,” the judge stated.

Investigations had revealed that Salve had snatched the mangalsutra and fled with Shaikh. They handed over the managalsutra to Naziya Shaikh,who mortgaged it to a goldsmith. A charge-sheet was filed against the accused under Section 392 (punishment for robbery) and 34 (acts done by several persons with common intention) of the IPC. The defence of the accused said they were falsely implicated in the case. During trial,goldsmith Tirthesh Jain turned hostile.

The accused had asked for leniency as,if they are sent to jail,their family will be on the street. Naziya submitted that she is a woman and has to take care of the family. They also requested the court to release them on probation for good conduct as they were in jail for three months between March 28,2010 and June 30,2010.

On the other hand,assistant public prosecutor Shilpa Mhatekar submitted that incidents of chain-snatching are increasing in the city and that the accused be dealt with severely. She argued that they should not be released on probation of good conduct.

2 more chain-snatching cases reported

Chain-snatching continued unabated in the city with a 70-year-old woman getting targeted on Tuesday. Her chain was snatched when she was sitting in her shop at Katraj.

Kamal Jaysingh Mirdhe,a resident of Warkhade Nagare in Katraj,lodged the complaint,and police said Mirdhe has a shop in Siddhratha shopping centre near her residence. She was in her shop at 7 am,when two unidentified men arrived on motorcycle. Posing as customers they went to the shop to buy tobacco,and within moments snatched the gold chain and fled the spot. In another incident,two men on motorcycle snatched a gold chain from a woman in Warje on Monday morning. The woman,Prerna Vivek Devlankar,(50),has lodged a complaint.