Ukraine ambassador's phone snatched near Red Fort

NEW DELHI: A casual picnic in the national Capital proved costly for Ukraine's Ambassador to India Dr Igor Polikha, after a youth snatched his mobile phone from his hands while he was taking photos of the Red Fort on Wednesday morning.

Leaving his car and the driver in the parking at Daryaganj in the Walled City around 9 am, Polikha went for a walk for a while to take pictures of the famous monument.

However, a young snatcher followed his trail stealthily, reaching all the way to Red Fort. As Polikha was taking some pictures, the boy snatched the Apple iPhone from the diplomat's hands within a second.

Before Polikha could react, raise an alarm or chase him, the boy dashed into the crowed and vanished within moments.

Polikha later wrote to the Home Ministry and Delhi Police Commissioner about the incident.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Delhi) Jatin Narwal assured that the accused would be soon at the earliest.

"We have some vital clues about the culprit and would like to assure the diplomat that the accused will soon be nabbed," Narwal told reporters.

A bigger cause of worry than the snatching itself is the vital information present in the iPhone that may now be vulnerable.

"We registered the case as soon as the complaint was received by police. The victim was taking some photographs near Red Fort, and based on the vital clues, we believe we will be able to arrest the accused soon." said Deepender Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police.

Police have formed several teams and all known snatchers in the area have been rounded up for interrogation.

Cops are also using local intelligence to get know about the snatcher's identity. The fact that the phone was switched off immediately after the snatching indicates that it is a handiwork of a professional snatcher.