Snatchers on prowl despite extra police force on roads

New Delhi: A female journalist was standing outside the RML hospital in New Delhi on May 29 filming a story on her mobile which was attached with a selfie stick. A few seconds later, all she could see was two men on bike fleeing with her mobile and the stick.

"Two bike borne men pushed me and snatched my mobile phone and selfie stick outside RML Hospital Gate 3 in Central Delhi at around 5:45p.m. I could not note down the number. The men were without helmets," Karishma Asodani said.

On May 5, actress Meera Chopra tweeted: "My dad was taking a walk in police colony. Two guys came on a scooter, showed knife and snatched his phone. This is how safe you claim Delhi to be."

On May 30, another man reported mobile snatching in Delhi. "My mobile phone was snatched in broad daylight by biker gang near Mukbara Chowk, Delhi (bypass) on Sunday. Visited Timarpur police station to lodge an FIR. As expected, I was denied though mobile no was active till Wednesday. Finally, I reported the case online," alleges another victim Vikas Kumar Gupta.

These are a few cases which were reported during the lockdown when the security was at its best.

Neither the Delhi Police barricading nor the extra police force on the roads could deter the snatchers from targeting the Delhi residents.

Many snatchers have been caught too by Delhi Police during the lockdown. On May 9, two bikers snatched a person's mobile phone in Badarpur but were caught later by South East Delhi police.

The Outer North Delhi police has now nabbed a criminal who ran his own robbery training school in Bawana and facilitated the snatchers and provided them with logistic support.

Worryingly, when many opted to stay home and ventured out only when it was necessary, the snatchers were on the roads looking for easy prey.