Two habitual snatchers targeting women at Old Iron bridge nabbed

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has arrested two habitual snatchers for blind snatching cases targeting women passengers in autorickshaws at the Old Iron Bridge, Yamuna Khadar.

The accused were identified as Amarpal alias Chintu (23) resident of Babbar Nursery Yamuna Bridge, Delhi, and Shankar alias Kale (27) resident of Kailash Nagar, Yamuna Bridge, Delhi.

According to the police, the case dates back to November 6, 2024, when a woman traveling with her children in an autorickshaw was robbed of her purse containing five gold rings, a mobile phone, cash worth Rs 30,000, and other valuables.

The incident occurred near the Iron Bridge, and the culprits fled by jumping down to the Yamuna Riverbank. An e-FIR was registered under Sections 303(2) and 3(5) BNS at PS Kotwali. The police investigated a case without CCTV footage and limited leads, relying on human intelligence and local informants.

A breakthrough came when the victim recalled one suspect had three short fingers on his right hand.

The dedicated team, led by SI Vinod Nain and supervised by Insp. Jatan Singh, identified and tracked the suspects, culminating in their arrest on January 23.

During interrogation, both confessed to their involvement in the snatching. The stolen purse, containing all valuables except the cash, was recovered from a jhuggi near their residence. Both accused are drug addicts who commit crimes to fund their addiction. They revealed a pattern of targeting women passengers at night and escaping via the riverbank.

Amarpal, previously involved in theft, and Shankar, linked to six prior cases of robbery and theft, have a history of similar offenses in areas under the jurisdiction of the Gandhi Nagar, Kotwali, and Old Delhi Railway Station police. Police also linked them to four other recent snatching cases.