Belarusian woman’s camera snatched at Humayun Tomb
NEW DELHI: A 32-year-old Belarus national became the latest victim of street crimes in Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, when her digital camera was snatched by two youth from inside Humayun’s Tomb in south Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin.
Police, however, claimed that the crime was solved within 10 hours of being reported at the Hazrat Nizamuddin police station. Two persons were arrested and a minor boy apprehended in the case.
The snatched camera, police said, also recovered from the possession of the suspects.
Ten days ago, the iphone of Ukraine’s ambassador to Delhi, Dr Igor Polikha, had been snatched while he was clicking pictures of the Red Fort. The mobile phone was later recovered and two people arrested.
Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), said Tuesday’s incident took place when the Belarus national, Volha Thomas, was visiting Humayun’s Tomb with her husband. Thomas, a professional photographer, was clicking photographs with her camera esti- mated to be worth over ₹5 lakh when she was targeted by two unidentified men. The men snatched the camera from her hand and fled. Her husband, a manager with a Belarus-based private communication company, was waiting outside the tomb, when the crime took place around 1pm, said a police officer.
“She was inside, when two men came from behind and snatched her camera. By the time she could raise an alarm, the snatchers had disappeared with the camera,” said a police officer associated with the probe. The woman then informed her husband and some locals brought them to the Hazrat Nizamuddin police station.
A case was registered on Thomas’ complaint and two teams formed to nab the snatchers. During their probe, the officer said, more than fifty suspects previously involved in similar crimes were rounded up.
“Our criminal intelligence network helped us identify the suspects. Their hideouts were raided and the men were nabbed. Thee stolen camera was also recovered,” the officer added. Those arrested were identified as Abdul Samad, 22, and Salman,21, both residents of Basti Nizamuddin.
According to the officer, the complainant has been informed about the recovery of her camera.