Bhopal: Despite intensified vehicle checking at 65 locations across the city, incidents of loot and snatching continue to trouble Bhopal, with police recording three robbery cases and three snatching incidents in the last five days alone.
Police and traffic personnel have been conducting regular vehicle checks to curb street crimes, but recent incidents suggest that offenders continue to strike and escape despite heightened surveillance.
According to police data, eight chain-snatching cases were reported between January and May this year, a significant increase compared to two cases during the corresponding period in 2025 and just one in 2024. During the same period this year, police registered 16 loot cases, up from 14 in 2025 and 13 in 2023.
Police sources said the rise is not limited to chain snatching. Mobile phone snatching has emerged as a growing concern, with nearly one such incident being reported every three days.
The recent spate of street crimes has raised concerns over public safety, especially after a series of knife-point robberies reported in different parts of the city over the past week.
What is worrying police is the absence of any discernible pattern in the recent spate of loot and snatching incidents. Investigators said most of the crimes were carried out by isolated offenders rather than organised gangs, with many of the accused being youngsters and, in some cases, even minors. The random nature of the offences and the lack of a common modus operandi have made it difficult for police to predict and effectively curb such incidents.
In the latest case, two bike-borne miscreants allegedly snatched an iPhone 17 Pro worth Rs 1.25 lakh from a 41-year-old grocery trader in Ashoka Garden shortly after midnight on Thursday.
Police said Vikrant Jain, a resident of Punjabi Bagh, was returning home around 1 am when two youths on a motorcycle approached him near Dr Maniram’s Hospital. The pillion rider allegedly snatched his phone and fled. A case has been registered and CCTV footage is being examined.
Late Tuesday night, three masked men on a scooter allegedly held a grocery trader at knifepoint and escaped with Rs 2 lakh cash in Shahjehanabad. On Monday night, a 30-year-old journalist was allegedly abducted and forced to transfer Rs 32,000 in Nishatpura, with four accused later arrested. On Sunday evening, an MBA student was robbed at knifepoint inside Smart City Park in Shyamla Hills, where police arrested the accused within hours.
Police said surveillance is being strengthened and habitual offenders are being identified, but residents have questioned the effectiveness of frequent checking drives in preventing street crimes.
Police commissioner Sanjay Kumar said patrolling has been intensified, particularly between 6 pm and 10 pm, as a majority of snatching incidents are reported during these hours. He said surveillance on hardened criminals with a history of snatching and street crimes has been stepped up and preventive action is being taken against them. Police are also expanding CCTV coverage across vulnerable areas. At the police station level, poorly lit stretches are being identified, and additional evening and night patrols are being deployed to improve visibility and deter criminals, the officer added.
