Pedestrian, biker fall prey to snatchers in Zirakpur, Dhakoli

A pedestrian and a biker lost their belongings to six snatchers in different cases in Zirakpur and Dhakoli, respectively, which are nearly 7 km apart, within a span of around an hour on Wednesday.

Snatchers are having a fearless run in Zirakpur and its vicinity in late hours even when the Mohali police have deployed permanent PCRs for night patrolling.

In the first case, Vishal Kumar of Shiva Enclave, Pabhat, Zirakpur, who works as a superintendent in a transport company in City Enclave, was walking towards his house around midnight after completing his evening shift.

According to Kumar, when he was about a two-minute walking distance away from his house, six men while doing ‘tripling’ on two bikes stopped near him.

“They had three wood cutters with them. While one of them placed a wood cutter on my neck, others started beating me and took out my mobile phone from my pocket. They further snatched the tablet kept inside the bag. I was too terrified and did not even notice the vehicle numbers. Their faces were covered,” the victim said.

It was only when a speeding car came towards the accused that the miscreants fled the spot. “The man in the car even tried to chase the accused but they managed to flee. If that good samaritan had not come on time, they could have caused severe damage. Since my house was near the spot, I rushed to call my brother. We along with our associates immediately went after them, but could not trace them,” Kumar stated.

Zirakpur police are yet to nab the accused. While scrutinising a CCTV camera footage, they noticed one of the accused whose back was turned towards the victim. The accused have been booked under Section 304 (snatching) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Food delivery partner robbed in Dhakoli

In another case, Dhakoli police booked six unidentified men for snatching a bike and mobile phone of a food delivery company employee near DPS Chowk around 1.02 am.

Victim Deepak Kumar of Indira Colony in Manimajra told the police that he had gone to deliver a food order at Radha Enclave in Dhakoli.

When he reached near the said chowk, six men on two bikes stopped him and fled with his mobile and Hero Splendor bike after assaulting him.

The accused had covered themselves with blankets and also hit the victim’s bike with a weapon.

According to police, the accused had split in two separate directions after committing the crime. “As per the CCTV camera footage, the bikers had split towards Gazipur and Dera Bassi. They eventually went towards the Dappar Toll plaza. We will nab them soon,” an investigator said.

Dhakoli police have booked the unidentified men under Sections 304(2) (snatching), 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 191(3) (rioting) of the BNS.

“We are yet to ascertain if the same accused were also involved in the Zirakpur theft case,” a senior police officer said.

Accused nabbed for snatching phone in Phase 5

Meanwhile, Phase 1 police on Wednesday arrested Satnam Singh, alias Kuku, of Kharar for allegedly snatching a mobile phone in Phase 5 recently.

Victim Hansika, a software developer in a private company, was walking outside her paying guest accommodation when the accused allegedly snatched her mobile phone.

Police nabbed Singh near the Mango Park in Phase 5 and recovered a stolen bike and the snatched mobile from his custody.