Patna, Dec. 26: The city police have found an unlikely ally in nature — the cold to be precise — to combat chain-snatchers.

The extreme cold has forced women to don shawls or heavy winter wear. The woollen wrap on chains has made the task of snatchers tougher, if not impossible.

The snatchers can neither see if a woman is wearing a chain, nor can they take chance at will because the possibility of successfully snatching a chain hidden under a sweater or a shawl is remote.

“During winter, women cover themselves in shawls and high-neck pullovers. So targeting them now is difficult for the chain-snatchers. The criminals don’t have a clue as to whether a woman is wearing a chain around her neck or not,” a police officer told The Telegraph.

Sources told The Telegraph that with the onset of winter, not many pedestrians were visible on the streets in the early morning or evening hours, forcing snatchers on the back foot. “Incidents of chain-snatching, which had become a headache for us, have almost stopped. Though the police patrolling was intensified, the cold is a major reason for the dip in such incidents. The attackers usually targeted women walking alone or in pairs. Many had been attacked during early morning walks. But with the mercury dipping, a few women venture out in the morning or in the evening,” the officer said.

“Middle-aged women had been targeted in a majority of incidents involving chain-snatching. College girls have been attacked rarely. This is because the criminals know that a middle-aged or old woman cannot react as fast as their young counterparts,” he added. Sources said incidents of snatching had continued despite efforts by the police.

According to figures, the last registered case of chain-snatching occurred in the Buddha Colony area on November 27. While the mercury dipped alarmingly, not a single case of chain snatching has been recorded since.

According to sources, the police had done their bit — from preparing and pasting sketches of the attackers to increasing the quick mobile police force — to stop chain-snatching. But they failed to keep the snatchers at bay.

“The recently launched plan, under which a pair of policemen patrol every kilometre between Didarganj and Patna City, has helped. The cops have also scaled up their patrolling. But the cold has helped the police as far as curbing chain-snatching is concerned,” another officer said.