The two men who were arrested on Wednesday in connection with snatchings on the Maidan lied to police when they said they had been forced to rob people after having lost their jobs during the pandemic, officers said.

Investigators said the two did not have regular jobs from before the lockdown last year and their unemployment was “not related” to the Covid pandemic.

“One of them, Mohammad Imran, used to work at a shoe shop in Mumbai two years ago while the other, Sheikh Sameer Hussain, had never held a proper job. We have come to know this during a background check. In the last few years, they only did odd jobs and would spend their income on psychotropic substances,” said an officer at Lalbazar.

The officer added that Hussain was a “rough” in his area. However, till Thursday, the police said they did not find any official police records suggesting their involvement in a crime.

The duo were produced in court on Thursday and remanded in police custody.

The two men had robbed three morning walkers in the Maidan area early on Wednesday and attacked one of them who resisted with a big knife and the butt of a gun.

The injured man, 24-year-old Hargovind Vyas, had five deep cuts on his body and received 80 stitches.

“My brother is stable now. The doctor has advised bed rest. He is recuperating but still traumatised,” said Hargovind’s brother Shambhu.

Police patrol

Calcutta police introduced four police pickets comprising two officers each armed with walkie-talkies in the Maidan area between 4.30am and 7.30am for the safety of morning walkers from Thursday.

The number of mobile patrol vans and motorcycle patrols has been increased from Thursday, senior officers of the south division said.

“Earlier, there was only one patrol van and two motorcycle patrols to cover the entire Maidan. From today, we have introduced four police pickets and increased the number of patrol vans and motorcycle patrols,” said a senior police officer.

In the evening, police raids are being conducted to stop criminal activities in the Maidan area.

The police are planning to shift some of their morning exercise to the Maidan area to ensure more police visibility in a pocket that has become deserted because of Covid curbs parking restrictions.

“There is zero tolerance for car parking in the Maidan area. Most of the people I know are unable to come for morning walk because there is no car parking area in and around the Maidan.

Elderly people find it very difficult to park their car at Dalhousie or Dharmatala and walk all the way, hence many of them have stopped coming,” said a city lawyer who regularly goes to the Maidan with his son.