21-yr-old bites off snatcher’s finger in east Delhi, leaves him requiring surgery

The victim Dev Raj, who repairs sofas for a living, was sitting on a bench in a DDA park in east Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar when he was attacked him and tried to snatch his phone.

In an unusual outcome in a snatching case, the alleged snatcher suffered deep injuries that required surgery after the victim bit his index finger while trying to resist the crime in a public park in north-east Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar on Tuesday evening, police said.

The suspect, later identified as Rohit, with a bleeding finger was caught by the public and handed over to the police. He and his accomplice were taken to GTB Hospital where he was later operated upon for his finger. (Representational Photo)

The 21-year-old victim, Dev Raj, repairs sofas for a living and lives with his family in east Delhi’s Ashok Nagar. He said that on Tuesday he was taking a stroll in a DDA park in Jyoti Nagar when the crime happened around 9.30pm.

“I sat down on a bench in the park and began using my phone when two young men approached me. One of them caught my neck and began suffocating me. When I tried to raise an alarm, he pressed my mouth while the other man began raining punches on my face before snatching my phone,” he told the police in his statement.

But while pressing his mouth, the suspect’s index finger slid into Raj’s mouth. “I bit it with all my might. That forced him to let go of my neck and mouth. I again raised an alarm, which brought the public to the spot,” said Raj.

The suspect, later identified as Rohit, with a bleeding finger was caught by the public and handed over to the police. Both the men were taken to GTB Hospital where Raj was discharged after treatment whereas Rohit needed surgery for his finger.

Raj was hurt below his eye and on his head, but said that he escaped serious injuries.

Rohit has been arrested, said Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (Eastern Range), adding that there were no known previous criminal cases against him. “We are searching for the other suspect and retrieve the snatched phone,” said the officer.

A case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 392 (robbery) and 34 (acts done by several persons with a common intention) at Jyoti Nagar police station, said Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (Eastern Range).

“The snatcher’s finger was bitten by the victim while resisting the suspects,” said Kumar.