Ghaziabad: A couple arrested in connection with two chain snatching incidents

Police said a couple was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of committing two chain-snapping incidents over the past month in Crossings Republik Township. Officials added that the arrests followed an intensive investigation that included a review of footage from around 700 CCTV cameras and local interviews.

Vivek Pandey, 29, who previously worked with an insurance company in Noida but lost his job over a month ago, has reportedly turned to crime to clear outstanding loan installments, police said. Meanwhile, his wife Kirti Sharma (28), a graduate and a homemaker, recently gave birth to their three-month-old baby and has allegedly agreed to be his partner in crime.

According to police, investigators linked the pair to two incidents: one that occurred on November 15 at Ajnara Market and the other on October 29 at Galleria Market, both in Crossings Republik. “The couple admitted that they had scouted the area before committing the crime on the scooter. Kirti rode pillion while Pandey drove. During the abductions, they left their child in the care of Pandey’s parents,” said Priti Garg, station house officer (Crossings Republik).

Garg said the couple resorted to crime due to mounting financial pressure. “They were in arrears with the repayment of three installments of the loan ₹20,000 each. Pandey suggested chain snatching as a quick way to make money, and his wife agreed. They sold the stolen chains locally, citing the buyers’ financial problems,” she added.

Police noted the pair’s efforts to avoid detection, including bending the scooter’s license plate to obscure the number on CCTV and removing a parking sticker from their high-rise apartment. After the second incident, they parked the scooter in nearby Pandav Nagar, booked a taxi home and later recovered the vehicle at night to avoid suspicion.

“Our teams identified the suspects based on CCTV footage and electronic monitoring. The taxi driver who transported them after the second kidnapping helped confirm their identities. We tracked their movements and arrested them in the town,” Garg said.