Two pull woman down from bike, flee with gold chain in Delhi

The woman, who works in a hospital, was left with a fracture in one arm, injuries to her head and knees, and may lose the use of her left ear because of the fall, said her husband.

A 50-year-old woman was dragged off a two-wheeler, and thrown on to a busy intersection even as vehicles zipped past her, by snatchers who violently tugged off her gold chain and drove away on their motorbike --- another incident that highlights the menace of street crime in the national capital.

Despite relatively empty streets during the lockdown, there was a 6% increase in snatching incidents this year compared to the corresponding period last year. (HT File Photo)

The woman, who works in a hospital, was left with a fracture in one arm, injuries to her head and knees, and may lose the use of her left ear because of the fall, said her husband, who was riding the motorcycle on which she was riding pillion at the time of the incident near Kashmere Gate on Friday night.

Pramila Singh continues to be in hospital at Sushruta Trauma Centre in Civil Lines, and doctors say her condition is now stable. “But doctors have told us that she may have suffered permanent damage to her left ear,” Surender Singh said.

The two motorbike-borne attackers are yet to be identified, police said.

The couple live with their two sons in the MCD flats in North Delhi’s Jahangirpuri.

“We were on Ring Road, and close to Kashmere Gate ISBT, two men on a motorcycle pulled over close to us. The pillion rider violently tugged at my wife’s neck to snatch her gold chain,” said Surender. The violent jerks as his wife tried to fend off the attackers made Surender lose balance. Pramila, who was sitting with her legs to one side, fell on the road.

“The snatchers managed to pull the chain off. I saw the pillion rider snatcher turn back and glance at us. He was masked, wearing a handkerchief,” Surender said.

He added that his wife had a close shave as other passing vehicles swerved to avoid her, some barely avoiding running her over as she lay bleeding in the middle of the road.

A motorist eventually stopped to offer the couple a ride to Sushruta Trauma Centre.

Anto Alphonse, deputy commissioner of police (North), said a case of theft and ‘assault in attempt to commit theft of property’ has been registered at the Kashmere Gate police station.

“We are checking CCTV footage for the suspects, but are yet to make a breakthrough,” the DCP said.

On average, nearly 20 incidents of snatching and five robberies were reported every day in the capital till August 15 this year.

Despite relatively empty streets during the lockdown, there was a 6% increase in snatching incidents this year compared to the corresponding period last year --- 4,257 till August 15 as compared to 4,010 in the same period in 2019.

Robberies have, however, dipped by over 18% -- 1,086 cases till August 15 as compared to 1,333 in the same period last year.

Vikram Singh, former DGP of Uttar Pradesh, said that snatching gold chains has become a lucrative crime because of the involvement of jewellers who buy the stolen property from them and go on to melt the jewellery, thus making it untraceable. “A few successful gold snatching a month earns these snatchers more than what an MNC executive makes. The police need to go after such jewellers if they intend to control this menace,” said Singh.

He said that the pandemic has caused a lot of unemployment which is making the snatchers desperate to target people even at crowded and busy streets. “They also understand that the police is fatigued due to additional Covid duties. They know that the street patrolling is relaxed now as compared to earlier,” said the former UP Police chief.