Man who snatched 2 purses in less than 30 minutes nabbed in Chandigarh

Officials said the accused had also snatched the purse of an advocate’s wife in Sector 37 on September 12; he had stolen a Honda Activa scooter from Sector 19 on the same day which he had used to commit these crimes

After committing two snatchings in less than 30 minutes, police have arrested 26-year-old Harmeet Singh, alias Noor, of Sector 36.

As per officials, he had previously been arrested in a snatching case in the Mataur police station, Mohali, and had been released on bail recently. (iStock)

As per police, Singh comes from an affluent family and lives with his parents and grandparents in Sector 36. The family owns two shops in Palika Bazaar, Sector 19, which they have rented. The collective value of the properties is over ₹1 crore. However, Singh himself has studied till Class 10 and is currently unemployed.

On Monday the accused had snatched a Sector 40 resident’s purse who was going to a temple near her house. The incident took place around 6 pm. Striking again less than half an hour later at around 6.25 pm, he snatched the purse of a Sector 38-D resident who was out for a walk near her house.

Speaking about the case, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) south west Charanjit Singh Virk said, “The accused is addicted to smack. He had been caught as a juvenile in a drugs related crime as well. He would spend over ₹1,000 a day on the drug for which he committed the snatchings.”

Officials said the accused had also snatched the purse of an advocate’s wife in Sector 37 on September 12. He had stolen a Honda Activa scooter from Sector 19 on the same day which he had used to commit these crimes.

As per officials, Singh was seeking treatment from a drug de-addiction centre in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. After committing the crime on September 12, he had gone to the centre for three days before coming out again on September 16, only to commit the two other snatchings, police said.

As per officials, he had previously been arrested in a snatching case in the Mataur police station, Mohali, and had been released on bail recently.

Acused wore a wig, targeted old women

Speaking about Singh’s modus operandi, DSP Virk said the accused targeted older women and snatch their purse. “He was only interested in the cash. In the snatching incident on September 12, there was also a phone in the purse which he had thrown out. We recovered the device.”

The accused would intentionally drive on wrong side of road so that he could use his right hand to snatch belongings, like purses, and escape. He also had purchased a wig which he used to wear, while covering his face with a cloth while committing the crime.

The accused will remain in remand until Thursday as police expect that more cases can be solved based upon his information. This year, the city has already recorded 90 cases of snatching until September 15.