Panchkula, Nov. 21 -- In early October, Brijesh Rawat, a waiter, was returning home after a late-night shift when three men on a motorcycle waylaid him near Sector 5, Panchkula, and demanded that he hand over whatever valuables he was carrying. Unwilling to part with his day's hard-earned money, Rawat resisted. But what followed was a complete nightmare. The men roughed him up and viciously stabbed him in the chest, stomach and thigh before fleeing with his phone and purse. A bleeding Rawat was discovered by a passer-by and rushed to the hospital. This is not an isolated incident. Between September 1 and November 15, Panchkula has seen nearly 20 stabbing and robbery incidents, where victims were stabbed and left to bleed. From women out for walks to labourers, vendors and night-shifts workers returning home on foot or bicycles, the snatchers preyed on anyone who seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Mohit Gupta, a senior citizen residing in Sector 25, blamed inadequate police patrolling for the rise in such crimes. "Around 25-30% of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the city are non-functional. On top of that several areas have sparse development, with low concentration of people and infrastructure. Due to this, late-night commuters often find themselves caught in isolated stretches, with no one to turn to for help if a criminal strikes." Gupta further said after a spike in criminal activities in June, the Residents' Welfare Society of Sector 2 hired mobile security guards equipped with body cameras for patrolling. Police, meanwhile, maintain that the overall snatching incidents have seen a 32% drop between May and November. A senior police official said that out of the total snatchings reported during this period, seven have been traced. Despite the high number of cases, many are reportedly falling flat during trial, resulting in acquittals. Official figures show that from January till October 31, 2025, the acquittal rate in all types of criminal cases - not just snatchings - was 65% (603 cases), while the conviction rate was just 35% (317 cases). In snatching cases particularly, several cases fell flat due to shoddy police investigation. Acquittal judgments cited major lapses such as the police failing to conduct a test identification parade, the investigating officer (IO) not obtaining CCTV footage, and the absence of independent witnesses during recovery. Additionally, the complainant's failure to identify the accused has also contributed significantly to these acquittals (see box). When contacted, Panchkula police commissioner Sibash Kabiraj acknowledged that the non-conduct of identification parade has remained a major factor in acquittals. "We have studied the judgments of all types of criminal cases over the last two years. Non-conduct of identification parade has remained a factor in the acquittals. However, it's not the police alone to be blamed. People often hesitate to come forward as independent witnesses. Police have identified these issues and directions have been issued to all SHOs to brief their IOs."...