Ludhiana: Woman injured in snatching incident, accused on the run

Though the assailant initially sped ahead, he quickly returned after failing to secure the purse; in his hurry, his scooter skidded, but he regained control, snatched the handbag and fled the scene

A 55-year-old woman was assaulted and robbed barely a few steps from her home in the upscale Model Town area on Friday afternoon.

Inspector Balwinder Singh, SHO of Model Town police station, confirmed that the victim suffered head injuries and lost two teeth in the incident. (HT Photo)

The victim, Alka Malhotra, wife of engineering goods industrialist Rohit Malhotra, was returning from a nearby market when the attack took place around 3.45 pm. CCTV footage from the street captured the chilling sequence of events.

Alka was just 10 metres from the main gate of her residence when a masked man on a red scooter approached and attempted to snatch her purse. The footage shows the snatcher tugging at the handbag slung over her left shoulder, causing her to lose balance and collapse face-first on the road.

Though the assailant initially sped ahead, he quickly returned after failing to secure the purse. In his hurry, his scooter skidded, but he regained control, snatched the handbag and fled the scene.

Moments later, a neighbour spotted Alka lying unconscious on the road. Recognising her, he alerted the family, who rushed her to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital.

Inspector Balwinder Singh, SHO of Model Town police station, confirmed that the victim suffered head injuries and lost two teeth in the incident. “She is under treatment at DMC hospital and is stable,” he said. “The accused managed to get away with her purse, but her mobile phone was safe in her pocket.”

“Efforts are on to identify and nab the accused,” the Inspector added.