Snatchers fall in women cops' net at Dakshineswar

KOLKATA: After failing to nab gangs of women snatchers on the prowl inside Dakshineswar temple for several months, North 24-Parganas police have finally tasted success by posting women policemen in plainclothes in the premises.
The special women police team has picked up as many as 50 such snatchers in recent times. The team has won the praise of the district police top brass who said the constables did an "outstanding job".
Gangs of female snatchers had been active inside the temple for several months.Past attempts by the district police to clamp down on crime inside the temple, particularly by women criminals, largely drew a blank. Finally, the district police realised that crime inside the temple could not be curbed unless women constables were deployed to nab female snatchers. Thus was formed the special team of policewomen to guard devotees.
The snatchers would stand in the queue with genuine devotees and flee with jewellery, purses or other valuables from unsuspecting victims. To catch these snatchers red-handed, the policewomen also followed a similar tactic. They would stand similarly in devotees' queues and even don various disguises. Their hard work bore fruit and soon, the snatchers started getting caught in their net.
"The nabbed women mostly hail from middle-class homes. They would target women visitors by pretending to be devotees like them," a police officer explained. These women pickpockets would be on the prowl outside the 12 Shiva shrines in the Dakshineswar temple complex.
A close study of the nabbed women revealed that personal and family problems had driven them to crime. "Normally, family disputes led them to a life in the underworld. These women used to be active on local trains where they would regularly pick pockets of passengers. They suddenly turned their attention on the temple which they saw as conducive for such crime," said an officer.
Kushal Chowdhury, a member of the trust that runs the temple, welcomed the police action. "We are very happy that police have swooped down on criminals inside the shrine. But this drive has to be undertaken every now and then to act as a deterrent to crime in the premises," he said.
"We will deploy women police officers in plainclothes on every occasion or programme at the Dakshineswar temple. They will be posted on April 15 Poila Baishakh at the temple," said a senior district police officer.