The law and order situation in the state is deteriorating day by day under the DMK’s Dravidian Model government. In a shocking testament to this decline, the state witnessed eight chain-snatching incidents in a single morning. Adding to the grim scenario, the past 30 days have seen a disturbing rise in murders, further exposing the collapse of law enforcement—let alone the escalating crimes against children and women.
Jafar Gulam Hussain, 28, a native of Uttar Pradesh, who was arrested on March 25 along with his accomplice Suraj at Chennai Airport while attempting to board a flight to Hyderabad, was shot dead while trying to escape.
According to the police, the duo had allegedly been involved in multiple chain-snatching incidents across the city. The alleged encounter took place in the morning hours of March 26, when police took Jafar to the Taramani area to recover stolen jewellery. During the operation, he allegedly attacked a police officer and attempted to flee. In response, the police opened fire, killing him on the spot.
Jafar Ghulam Hussain, a notorious criminal with over 50 cases, masterminded a spree of chain snatchings targeting elderly women across Chennai on March 25, hitting seven spots like Bethel Nagar and Guindy MRC in just an hour.
After CCTV footage exposed two Uttar Pradesh robbers… pic.twitter.com/034j4yFcvN
— Angry Saffron (@AngrySaffron) March 26, 2025
The eight snatching incidents within one hour on the morning of the March 25 left residents terrified. Within that short span, they snatched 16 sovereigns of gold chains worth about Rs 10 lakh at six locations. A ‘savaran’ or ‘sovereign’ is a traditional unit of weight for gold.
Following complaints, the police scanned 300 CCTV footages and arrested Jaffar Gulam and Suraj alias Marsingh Amjat at Chennai Airport as they were preparing to fly to New Delhi. They had already passed on the loot to another member of the gang, who had boarded the Vijayawada-bound Pinakini Express train from Chennai Central. He was intercepted at Nellore railway station and arrested. However, the police recovered only eight sovereigns of the stolen gold, worth Rs 5 lakh.
இன்று 25.03.2025, சென்னையில் ஆறு இடங்களில் அடுத்தடுத்து செயின் பறிப்பில் ஈடுபட்ட 2 நபர்கள், தப்பிச் செல்லும்போது விமான நிலையத்தில் வைத்து கைது. ✈️🚔
Today 25.03.2025, two individuals involved in chain-snatching at six different locations in Chennai were arrested at the airport,… pic.twitter.com/VI5dDwZQvo
— GREATER CHENNAI POLICE -GCP (@chennaipolice_) March 25, 2025
At a press briefing, Chennai Police Commissioner A. Arun said Jafar, during interrogation, admitted to stashing stolen jewellery near Taramani railway station.
“A special team, led by Thiruvanmiyur Inspector Bukhari, accompanied Jafar to the location. There, he retrieved a hidden country-made pistol and attempted to open fire on the officers. In self-defence, the police retaliated, fatally shooting him. Jafar was rushed to a nearby private hospital but was declared dead on arrival,” said Commissioner Arun.
While leaving for Delhi, the gang changed their shirts but failed to change their sneakers, which provided a crucial clue to the police. The authorities also alerted all exit points, including Chennai Central and the airport, and monitored trains and flights departing between 8 am and 12 noon. Their efforts paid off. The airport staff confirmed that two suspects had boarded flights.
Arun stated, “One robber landed in Chennai at 2 am on the March 25, and the other at 4 am. Their accomplice, Salman Hussain, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, met them outside the airport with a bike he had brought from Bidar in Karnataka. They booked a call taxi to reach their destination. Their targets were elderly women walkers, and they snatched chains between 6 am and 7 am.”
Police have remanded Meesan Amjith Irani and Salman Hussain in judicial custody. Further investigation is ongoing.
Jafar Gulam Hussain Irani hailed from Irani Basti, a notorious chain-snatchers’ den in Ambivli, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The colony has a history of attacking police teams who visit to probe cases. It is likely that the Tamil Nadu police acted in time—otherwise, they might not have been able to arrest the suspects or recover the loot. The police suspect the gang could be involved in similar crimes in Hosur and Coimbatore. In total, the police have recovered 26.5 sovereigns from the suspects.
ரத்தச் சரித்திரம்!!
இப்படி ஒரு ஆட்சியை நடத்த வெட்கமாக இல்லையா??#TN_BLEEDS@BJP4TamilNadu @TN_BJP_IT_Wing @annamalai_k @vikatan pic.twitter.com/pjUcpZk6px
— Vinoj P Selvam (@VinojBJP) March 26, 2025
From 25th February to 23rd March, there were nearly 40 murders in the state.
