'Don't tell my girlfriend that I am a chain snatcher'

Mumbai: William Sebastian was head over heels in love with his girlfriend. He was dreaming of a happy marital life together, but the only hindrance was his unemployment. However, Sebastian was determined to marry her, so much so that when he could not find a steady job, he went ahead and joined a gang of chain snatchers to arrange for money.

But on Thursday, his luck ran out and he was caught red-handed by the Unit XI of the Crime Branch in Kandivli. After his arrest he kept pleading with the police officers to conceal his criminal record from his girlfriend.

"Saheb, meri girlfriend ko mat batana ke main chain snatcher hoon," pleaded the 23-year-old.

Acting on a tip-off, the crime branch nabbed Noor Shabbir Shaikh, Mukesh Sahane, Kishan Singh - all 19 - and Sebastian from Kandivli, just as the gang was about to snatch a chain from a morning jogger.

Stealing for love
According to the police, Sebastian and his girlfriend had been in a relationship for the past one year. However, the girl rejected him as he was unemployed and she wanted a secure future.

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Sebastian then joined the gang that was headed by Shaikh. He told his girlfriend that he had got a job and began giving her the money from his loot.

Sebastian was an expert biker and the gang used him as a carrier to flee from the crime scenes.

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The culprits targeted morning joggers in Kandivli, particularly senior citizens.

Chain of events
The police claim to have recovered ornaments from 7 out of 13 chain-snatching cases carried out by the quartet. Cops are now investigating if the four accused were part of a bigger gang.

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"After we got the information, we immediately set a trap and arrested them. Out of 13 cases, we have successfully recovered ornaments in 7 cases and the investigation is still on," said Raghunath Dalvi, Senior Police Inspector, Unit XI of Crime Branch.