Guwahati Commissioner of Police (CP) Diganta Barah on Thursday admitted that there has been a rise in petty crimes across the city saying that it is mostly people coming from char areas to Guwahati who commit these crimes.

Addressing reporters during a press conference, the Guwahati CP today said, "Incidents of chain snatching and theft have risen in Guwahati. However, police has become proactive and now there will be a decline in such cases."

He was speaking on the incident of firing in Guwahati today in which two mobile thieves were shot at by the police as they attempted to flee from custody.

Diganta Barah said, "The operation was carried out under the aegis of Central District DCP. All of those who were detained were drug addicts. All such petty criminals are drug addicts. They lift mobile phones and sell them on to get enough money to illegally obtain drugs. Two incidents of police firing took place, one at Bonda and the other and Birubari localities of Guwahati. The police operation led to the seizure of several two-wheelers."

He said, "Two brothers, Dhanjit Rabha and Biswajit Rabha were detained by the police. Abhijit were injured in the firing today. He was the one who had snatched the mobile phone of DIG Vivek Raj Singh in Guwahati. We have not been able to recover the phone yet. It has been observed that most of the petty criminals caught during police operations, come from char areas to Guwahati and commit crimes here."

Diganta Barah further said, "Injured Biswajit Rabha was employed as a delivery partner for Dominos. His brother Abhijit Rabha was also involved in snatching of chains."

"A complaint against Mahibul Haque was registered at the Pan Bazar Police Station, while the complaints against the remaining culprits were filed at Geetanagar Police Station," he said.

The Guwahati CP went on saying, "On Wednesday night we seized a two-wheeler. Abhitjit Rabha was fired at after he tried to flee from custody by attacking a constable. This incident took place at Bonda in the outskirts of Guwahati. Detained Mahibul Haque was the mastermind of the entire crime. He was also shot at in self-defence during a scuffle with constable as he tried to jump custody."