He got a 'pandit' to conduct rituals for him and used to keep a piece of paper with a "police vashikaran mantra" (chants to keep the police at bay) written on it. But that didn't help Harish, an alleged snatcher and robber, and he finally landed in police net along with his two associates, Vikas and Mahipal, on Wednesday.

With their arrest, the police have solved 11 cases of robbery and snatching. Seven stolen gold chains and other articles were recovered from them.

The arrest followed investigation into a snatching incident that took place on September 22 near INA market.

"Two youths had snatched a chain from a woman and injured her. One of the accused was arrested after a brief chase," Chhaya Sharma, DCP (south) said.

During interrogation, Harish and Vikas disclosed that they had taken a loan against the three snatched gold chains.

Mahipal had purchased several snatched gold chains from Harish and his associates.

"To fulfill his desires and to make quick money, Harish took to crime. He used to target south Indian women in busy markets and near Metro stations. After identifying the target, he would follow her. His associate used to wait on the opposite carriageway of the main road," Sharma added.

Mahipal was working as a manager in a private company. "To fulfill his ambitions and to make quick money, he got associated with the criminals and starting purchasing stolen articles," Sharma said.