3 snatching cases reported, police suspect involvement of same men

GURUGRAM: In three separate incidents on Friday, a gang of robbers on bikes targeted pedestrians, snatching their gold chains, wallets and mobile phones. Two of the victims suffered minor injuries, police said.

The incidents took place at three different locations in old Gurugram. Residents blamed lack of adequate police deployment for the spurt in cases of snatching in the area.

The first incident took place at 4.30pm when two bike-borne snatchers targeted a 36-year-old woman, who was walking towards the Sector 14 market.

“I was crossing the road when two men on a bike snatched my purse which had my phone, ₹50,000 in cash and my identity cards,” the victim Manju said.

In another incident, two men approached a 70-year-old woman near her residence in Sector 9 on the pretext of asking for directions. When she ignored them and turned around, the pillion rider snatched her gold chain weighing 60gms, police said. The incident took place at 8pm.

The victim, Gayatri Devi, told police that as she tried to chase the snatchers she fell to the ground and injured herself.

“As the snatchers were not wearing helmets, their faces could well have been captured by the CCTV camera installed at her neighbour’s house. We are yet to obtain the footage,” inspector Sudhir Kumar, station house officer of Sector 9 police station, said.

The victim told police that the two men were on a black bike with no number plate.

The third incident took place around 10.30pm, when two men on a bike snatched the cellphone of a 23-year-old man, who was on his way from Udyog Vihar to his house in Sector 14. “I was walking with a friend, when two men on a bike slowed near me and snatched my phone. I tried to chase them and shouted for help, but they fled,” Vishal Gupta said.

Police suspect that the two people involved in all three incidents could be the same, as the description of the accused and their bike was similar in all three cases.

FIRs were registered under IPC section 379A (snatching) in all cases.

More than 100 snatching cases have reported in the city since January this year.