The police have increased vigil at the Irani locality in Maharashtra's Thane district following the killing of a robber from an Irani gang based in Thane in an encounter with the police in Chennai, an official said on Thursday.
Jaffer Gulam Hussein Irani, belonging to the notorious gang of robbers based at the Irani Basti in Ambivali area, was shot dead by the police after he allegedly opened fire on them in Chennai on Wednesday, officials earlier said.
The Irani Basti, located near the Ambivali station, has been infamous as the base of several chain-snatchers and motorbike thieves belonging to the Irani gang.
The police from Thane, neighbouring Mumbai and other adjoining areas were several times in the past attacked by residents of the locality when the security personnel went there to apprehend criminals.
The residents, mostly women, have been at the forefront of opposing the police action and damaged police vehicles in the past.
Several police personnel had also been injured in such attacks and forced to make a hasty retreat.
Since the killing of Jaffer in Chennai on Wednesday, an eerie silence prevailed in the locality.
Security has been stepped up in the locality to avoid any law and order issue and the situation is presently under control, an official from Khadakpada police station said.
Jaffer's family has been informed about the incident, the police said.
ADGP-Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A Arun on Wednesday told reporters that Jaffer had hidden a pistol inside a motorcycle he used for chain-snatching incidents.
"He tried to escape by attacking the police; the pistol was hidden inside the bike," he said.
The motorcycle was abandoned before Jaffer and two others tried to fly out of Chennai after committing the crimes.
A Chennai city police statement said at around 2.30 am on Wednesday, Jaffer, as part of the probe to recover robbed jewellery and the vehicle used to perpetrate the crimes, was taken by police to Taramani Railway Station area.
Suddenly, the accused took out the country made pistol from inside the motorcycle and opened fire on the police team.
"Though officials warned him not to fire at them, he did not heed the advice. There was no other choice and police shot at him and he was injured. He was rushed to a private hospital, and a doctor declared that he was brought dead," the statement said.
Explaining the series of chain-snatching incidents and the arrest (on March 25) of two accused persons -- Jaffer Gulam Hussein Irani and Mizammza Irani -- within a matter of 3-4 hours, Commissioner Arun said that between 6 am and 7 am on Tuesday, six chain snatching incidents were reported in south Chennai areas including Saidapet and hence, vehicle checking was intensified across the city.
Based on previous incidents in neighbouring Tambaram, the role of gangs from outside of Tamil Nadu was suspected and accordingly, airport, railway station, parking lots of MetroRail stations were checked and CCTV footages were examined and the identity of some accused persons were fixed and two accused were arrested at the airport within hours.
A third accused, Salman Hussain Irani, who boarded a Hyderabad-bound train at Chennai Central railway station following the crimes, was arrested at Ongole in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh with the help of RPF and jewellery snatched in the six incidents were recovered.
All the three accused belong to the big, notorious "Irani gang," who were mainly concentrated in and around Mumbai and its nearby areas and carry out crimes across the country, the police said.
The commissioner said these Irani robbers years ago earned notoriety for "attention diversion crimes", and their involvement in chain snatching has now been found.
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