Shocker for snatcher: The Rs 500 note that wasn’t

Karam and his relatives were waiting to board train at the Ludhiana railway station when a rickshaw puller, mistaking it for currency, made off after snatching it.

He thought he had a prized catch when he swooped a “Rs 500 note” from a child’s hands. But his plan went awry when the note turned out to be a pouch imprinted with the image of a Rs 500 note.

10-year-old Karam Singh shows his pouch that the thief mistook for currency. (HT Photo)

Bhopal-based Kundan Singh and his son Karam Singh, along with their relatives, were waiting to board the Bhopal-bound Malwa Express near the enquiry counter on Platform Number 1 at the Ludhiana railway station.

Finding 10-year-old Karam holding the pouch, a rickshaw puller, mistaking it for currency, made off after snatching it. A chase ensued, and Kundan and his relatives managed to nab the thief, before giving him a sound thrashing. The suspect was then handed over to the cops of the Government Railway Police (GRP), deployed near the entry gate to Platform Number 1.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Harinder Singh of the GRP, said the suspect, who remained unidentified, first confessed to the crime. But later, changed his tune, claiming he was only picking up the fallen pouch to return it to the boy. The matter was solved with a compromise and the rickshaw puller was let off, the ASI added.