A 28-year-old loan recovery agent, Rohan Jadhav, working with a finance company based in Yerawada, has been arrested for chain snatching after he resorted to crime in an attempt to recover the money he lost in online cricket betting.
Jadhav, a commerce graduate and resident of Phursungi Road, had become addicted to betting on online cricket games with the money he collected from defaulters. However, after suffering heavy losses, he decided to take a drastic step to recover his funds.
On November 28, Jadhav visited a shop in Pimpri Sandas on Pune-Ahmednagar Road, posing as a customer. He snatched a gold chain worth Rs80,000 from a 35-year-old woman sales executive and fled the scene on a motorcycle.
The Lonikand police launched an investigation, analysing CCTV footage from various locations between Pimpri Sandas and Yerawada. On December 17, they identified Jadhav and arrested him at his office in Commerce Zone, Yerawada. Police also recovered the stolen chain and the motorcycle used in the crime, valued at Rs1.78 lakh.
Jadhav confessed to his crime, explaining that he had been spending the money collected from defaulters on online gambling. He said he hoped to win back his losses but eventually resorted to chain snatching as a way to repay his debts. Jadhav, who lives with his wife and son, has no prior criminal history.
The case highlights the growing issue of addiction to online betting and the dangerous lengths some individuals may go to when seeking to recover losses.
