In west Delhi, snatching bid goes wrong twice, two nabbed

Two 22-year-old men, who went on a snatching-cum-stealing spree in west Delhi, were nabbed within 20 minutes of each other on Saturday — thanks to the bravery of two of their potential victims.

Police said that while one woman escaped unhurt, the other sustained minor injuries after being dragged by one of the snatcher’s motorcycle for several metres.

By the time the drama ended, both the accused had been nabbed, two stolen motorcycles recovered and three snatched purses recovered. The accused were later identified as Sagar Prasad and Jagdip Singh, both of who had been involved in several snatching cases in the past.

According to the police, the chain of events started around 10pm on Friday when the accused stole a Yamaha motorcycle from west Delhi’s Nihal Vihar.

The next morning, Saturday, they used the stolen bike to first target a 35-year-old teacher of a government school near Tagore Garden Metro station.

“The duo, Sagar and Jagdip, snatched her purse and sped away around 7.45am outside the Metro station,” said Vijay Kumar, DCP (west).

Buoyed by their success, the men then headed towards Subhash Nagar Metro station where they spotted a 25-year-old woman, identified as Kanika, who works as a teacher in a private school, riding pillion on the scooter of her father.

“One of the two motorcycle-borne men lunged at my daughter’s bag and tried to snatch it. But she did not let go. Instead, she jumped down from the running scooter, while clinging on to her purse,” said Kanika’s father, Vinod.

Vinod claimed that his daughter raised an alarm while trying to snatch her bag back. In the ensuing chaos, the snatchers to fall off their motorcycle. While Kanika caught hold of, Sagar, who was riding pillion, Jagdip managed to flee on foot.

But Jagdip was not done yet. He stole a second bike from near Tilak Nagar Metro station around 8.10am and rode towards Tilak Nagar, in search of his next prey.

Police said Jagdip noticed 22-year-old Shaalu, who works with a private firm, near the Tilak Nagar Metro station and decided to target her.

“I felt someone trying to pull at my handbag. Initially i thought it was a prank by one of my friends. But later i realised what was happening,” Shaalu said.

She added that she refused to let go of her bag and was hence dragged for almost five metres as Jagdip accelerated his motorcycle.

“The snatcher, however, lost control of his bike and fell. Some locals caught hold of him and thrashed him, before handing him over to the police,” Shaalu said.

Shaalu was left bleeding from her knees and elbows and was rushed to a hospital before being taken to Tilak Nagar police station for recording her statement.

At the police station, the two accused came face-to-face with each other.

“The duo initially pretended like they did not know each other. But, their game was up when Kanika identified them,” said Sagar Singh Kalsi, additional DCP (west). That helped the police connect the dots.