Child rights panel official’s chain snatched, police initially record case under theft

An official with the Delhi child rights panel said that two motorcycle-borne men snatched her gold chain in Rohini on Friday morning.

An official with the Delhi child rights panel said that two motorcycle-borne men snatched her gold chain in Rohini on Friday morning.

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She said she approached Prashant Vihar police station where she was made to file a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 379 for theft. She claimed that it was only after she insisted that they registered the case under section 392 (robbery) the next day.

Friday’s incident took place around 9.15am when 34-year-old Jyoti Rathee, a resident of sector 13 in Rohini was returning home on a scooter after dropping her son at school.

“I had reached close to my apartment, when two men on a motorcycle came very close to me. The pillion rider hit me on my neck and snatched my gold chain. The chain broke and they fled with it. I lost my balance and fell from the two-wheeler,” said Rathee, who is a member with the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

“Locals ran towards me to help me. I called the police to report the matter. When I went to Prashant Vihar police station, the officer told me to file an e-FIR and my case was registered under theft. I insisted that it be registered under snatching but they didn’t do it at that time. On Saturday I got a call from the police station and they registered the case under robbery,” she said.

Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) SD Mishra said they have registered a case or robbery and CCTV footage was being checked to identify the accused and to trace their bike. “We are probing the assistant sub-inspector who may have misled the complainant to file a theft case. Action will be taken against the officer,” Mishra said.

On Monday, HT had reported an analysis of crime data between January 1 and September 20, which showed that in at least 100 cases, reviewed by HT, victims complained to Delhi Police that bike-borne assailants HAD “snatched” their belongings – such as jewellery, money or mobile phones – but police registered FIRs under Section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) instead of Section 356 (assault or criminal force to commit theft) and 392 (robbery). Unlike snatching and robbery, theft is not a “street crime”.

On the day HT reported the trend, Delhi Police had a meeting of all 15 district DCPs. The Commissioner had then asked the DCPs to personally monitor snatching cases and ensure that no junior officer at police stations misled victims by filing FIRs related to theft.

On seeking comments about the meeting, police commissioner Amulya Patnaik had said there may have been some cases of police officers who applied incorrect section of the IPC. But said this could not be a trend. “If we receive a complaint against any police official who may have done such a thing, we will take strict action,” Patnaik had then said.