Snatchers strike yet again. Now, it’s at Civil Lines

NEW DELHI: A 26-year-old businesswoman travelling in an autorickshaw with her mother was severely injured after

snatchers

pulled her handbag near Sant Parmanand Hospital at

Civil Lines

in north Delhi on Saturday. The

woman

said two men drove along the

auto

and suddenly snatched her bag. The autorickshaw driver lost control over the vehicle and swerved to one side because of which the woman fell off, police said.


The victim, Nidhi Kapoor, told police that the incident took place around 8.40am. “The bag was of an international make and contained Rs 10,000 in cash and her mobile phone,” police said. A case under Sections 356 (assault or criminal force in attempt to commit theft) and 379 (punishment for theft) under Indian Penal Code was registered at Civil Lines police station.
Bigger syndicate at work

Meanwhile, days after police arrested three men for snatching a Brazilian woman’s handbag in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash II, it has emerged that one of the suspects was running a “snatching syndicate”. The woman, Cecilia, was walking near the M-block market around 1 pm when the men riding a motorcycle snatched her handbag and escaped. The handbag had a mobile phone, money, credit cards, passport and some other documents.

Police said the prime suspect, Munawar (20), had “trained” several people in carrying out snatchings. “He hails from Aligarh and has 20 cases against him there, including those of snatching, robbery and murder. He was expelled from school in Class X after a case of attempt to culpable homicide was registered against him. He met two other persons, Arbaz and Zuber, who have been arrested too in connection with the case,” Thakur said. Police said Munawar and his gang would sntach a bike, change its number plate and ride to Delhi to carry out the snatchings.

Munawar met Arbaz, also known as Honey, while they were lodged in Aligarh jail. While Munawar came out of jail by April-end, he waited for Honey to be released two months later. Then, the duo returned to their lives of crime. The duo snatched a motorcycle in Aligarh and with a new numberplate, they came to Delhi. They used the same bike in two other snatching cases. The third accomplice, Vijay (22), was Munawar’s childhood friend, police said.

Meanwhile, two days after a 55-year-old woman was injured when she resisted a snatching bid, two men were arrested on Sunday in connection with the matter, police said.