Bengaluru: In an unprecedented citywide operation, Bengaluru police raided the homes of nearly 1,500 rowdy sheeters on Friday night as part of a massive crackdown to curb rising incidents of chain snatching, robberies, and other petty crimes. The late-night surprise operation covered areas under Halasuru, Banaswadi, Indiranagar, Hennur, Ramamurthynagar, Bharatinagar, Shivajinagar, Adugodi, Kumaraswamy Layout, and Tilaknagar police limits, among others. Teams led by assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) searched the residences of rowdy sheeters, collected details of their activities, and verified their sources of income. In Bengaluru West division alone, 222 rowdy sheeters were checked, followed by 119 in the South division and 120 in the Southeast division. Police believe that keeping tabs on rowdy sheeters is crucial to preventing them from influencing youth or orchestrating criminal activity.