Lok Sabha MP R Sudha’s chain snatched near Poland Embassy

According to Sudha’s complaint, a man wearing a full-face helmet and riding a scooter approached them from the opposite direction at around 6.15am-6.20am and snatched her chain before speeding away.

A case of snatching was registered on Monday after R Sudha, a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from Tamil Nadu’s Mayiladuthurai constituency, was robbed of her gold chain by a man on a two-wheeler in south Delhi’s high-security diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri.

Member of Parliament R Sudha

The incident occurred around 6.15am near the Embassy of Poland, when the Congress MP was out on a morning walk with another parliamentarian -- Rajya Sabha MP Rajathi Salma.

According to Sudha’s complaint, a man wearing a full-face helmet and riding a scooter approached them from the opposite direction at around 6.15am-6.20am and snatched her chain before speeding away.

“As the man was riding slowly, I didn’t suspect anything. But as he passed, he pulled my gold chain with force… I have suffered injuries on my neck, and my churidhar also got torn in the impact. I somehow managed not to fall,” she added.

She added that both MPs tried to raise the alarm, but no passersby came to their aid.

Speaking to the media later in the day, Sudha said that she spotted the police control van “within two minutes” of the incident, but the two policemen present in the PCR asked her to file a written complaint instead of acting promptly.

“They didn’t even alert anyone, didn’t caution anyone… they took it very casually,” she said, adding that she sent a letter to the Union home minister Amit Shah after the incident.

“We were advised to give a complaint in writing and approach the jurisdictional police station for the purpose,” she wrote in her complaint.

Despite repeated attempts, deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment on the matter.

The MP said that she was traumatised by the incident and questioned the safety of women in the Capital.

“In a high-security zone like Chanakyapuri which is full of embassies and protected institutions, it is highly shocking to say the least. If a woman cannot walk safely in this high-priority zone in the national capital of India, where else can we feel safe and do our routine without fearing for our limbs, lives and valuables,” she wrote in her letter.

A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and multiple teams have been deployed to trace the absconding driver, though the exact sections invoked are yet to be disclosed.“CCTV footage from the area has been secured and is being analysed. We expect to make an arrest soon,” the officer said.

The incident has sparked outrage over women’s safety in the Capital, especially since it occurred in Chanakyapuri — a heavily guarded diplomatic enclave with round-the-clock police patrolling.

“If a woman cannot walk safely in such a high-security zone, where in India are we safe?” Sudha asked, speaking to the media. “It is traumatic to experience something like this in the Capital.”

Political reactions followed swiftly. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi said the episode reflected the deteriorating safety conditions for women in Delhi. “If this can happen to an MP, imagine the plight of ordinary women,” she said.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj echoed the sentiment, calling snatching incidents “routine” in the Capital. “Such crimes have become so common that many don’t even bother filing FIRs, knowing nothing will come of it,” he said.

Sudha criticised both the Delhi government and the Centre, calling the incident a “failure of the double engine government.” “A woman chief minister is governing the union territory, and yet women aren’t safe here,” she said.