Two held for snatching chain from 81-year-old woman in Safdarjung Enclave

According to police, the elderly woman was standing near Green Field School on July 25 when two men on a motorcycle snatched her gold chain and pushed her. The doctor suffered a fracture to her hip after she fell on the road while fighting off two snatchers and is still undergoing treatment

Nearly two weeks after an 81-year-old doctor was injured in a chain-snatching incident in south Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave, police on Thursday said they have arrested two men in connection with the case. The accused also allegedly targeted another woman the same day in Mukherjee Nagar, snatching her phone and jewellery.

One of the suspects, Danish (32), was finally tracked down to Pul Prahladpur. He was found to be involved in over 40 criminal cases. His associate, Ashish Taneja (26), was arrested from Punjab, police said. (Representational image)

According to police, the elderly woman was standing near Green Field School on July 25 when two men on a motorcycle snatched her gold chain and pushed her. The doctor suffered a fracture to her hip after she fell on the road while fighting off two snatchers and is still undergoing treatment.

Amit Goel, deputy commissioner of police (southwest), said CCTV footage helped trace the suspects’ movements. “The accused travelled from Safdarjung Enclave to Mukherjee Nagar, where they committed another snatching. They then moved through Burari, ISBT, Laxmi Nagar, and reached NH-24 via the Meerut Expressway, eventually entering Noida through the Mahamaya Flyover and Kalindi Kunj border,” he said. “It was a difficult trail to follow as they kept changing their locations. We analysed footage from over 500 CCTV cameras.”

One of the suspects, Danish (32), was finally tracked down to Pul Prahladpur. He was found to be involved in over 40 criminal cases. His associate, Ashish Taneja (26), was arrested from Punjab, police said.

“We recovered six gold chains and other jewellery from their possession. This year alone, they have been involved in at least seven cases of robbery and snatching,” said an officer.