ANANTAPUR: An Irani gang has been identified as operating in Anantapur and its surrounding districts. They were caught on CCTV as they escaped after snatching a gold chain from a 65-year-old woman, M. Sundarama, in broad daylight on Monday at Arvindnagar. The two youths who attacked and pulled the 7-tola gold chain from her were riding a Pulsar motorbike.

Sundarama alerted the police about the incident and the police were shocked to discover that the culprits were Iranians and that they managed to escape so quickly. The two thieves were from the Guntakal area. A senior police official said that it was the first incident of Irani gangs operating in Anantapur district. “Irani gangs are known to be experts in tricking people and are excellent riders. They are known chain-snatchers and they even pose as policemen to rob people. Though we are suspecting a gang from Guntakal, we are also alerting the police in Karnataka and Maharashtra,” said sources.

These Iranis have their origins in the Balochistan desert which is spread across Pakistan and Iran. They are nomads and had migrated to India in the 16th century. The Irani community initially used to live near railway stations and bus depots. Now they have settled at Ambwali, Mumbra and Rasheed compound in Thane, Sangola in Beed and Sangli, in Maharashtra and Bidar, Bengaluru, Hubli and Dharwad in Karnataka, and Hindupur, Madana-palle and Guntakal in AP. Bidar is said to be their largest settlement.

Experts on Irani gangs say, “These gangs don’t have any boundaries, and they operate from Madhya Pradesh to AP. Their strength is their settlements across various cities and their coordination. It is hard to believe but we have cases where chain snatchers from Bhopal are coming to Bengaluru and have escaped after committing a crime with the help of their local partners. They are such good riders that they can even change their shirts while riding their bikes after a chain-snatching incident and can be immediately ready for the next offence without fear of being caught because of their changed attire.”