Chain of Shyam Benegal’s crew member snatched outside Gate No. 8 of Parliament House

In a major security lapse outside gate number 8 of Parliament House on Saturday, two unidentified motorcyclists snatched the gold chain of a member of director Shyam Benegal’s production unit.

The incident has not only shocked the victim, Lokesh, and his production team that was shooting for Benegal’s documentary titled Constitution in Rajya Sabha, but also the security establishment which has been completely taken aback by the audacity of the criminals who targeted a high-security zone such as Parliament. Sources said that despite the fact that a PCR van was stationed right across the point from where the snatchers committed the crime, the criminals managed to flee with the chain.

A team of Intelligence Bureau and Parliament security has now approached the local police for more details on the crime. The incident took place at about 6.45 pm on Saturday when Delhi head of Benegal’s production unit Lokesh was standing outside gate number 8 with one of his colleagues Shyam Rawat.

A black Pulsar motorcycle stopped near the duo and the pillion rider snatched Lokesh’s chain after which the two criminals escaped. Rawat has told the police that the pillion rider appeared to be a woman though he couldn’t say anything with certainty because the former’s face was completely covered with a stole.

‘Before we could react the two had driven off. Later, Lokesh found some part of his chain entangled in his shirt. It is really astonishing because we were in standing in a high security area. We had a bad experience and now we doubt Delhi’s security arrangement,’ Rawat said, adding, ‘Our crew is now scared and are taking extra precautions before going out and travelling.’

A case has been registered at the Parliament Street police station in connection with the incident under relevant sections and further investigations are on.

‘We have detained a few persons and hope to crack the case soon,’ a senior police officer said.
Central security agencies have also swung into action considering the sensitivity of the prime location where the incident took place.