A chef in a five-star hotel in Delhi was arrested by the police on Tuesday evening in connection with multiple cases of chain snatching. He was arrested from Neb Sarai area, where he had allegedly gone to rob more people, the police said. The accused worked at a five-star hotel near the Delhi airport and earned a good salary. He also holds a BA degree and another qualification in hotel management. He took to stealing in order to pay off gambling debts, the police stated. The accused, who lived in Sangam Vihar, targeted women going for walks or travelling to their workplaces near Saket Metro Station.
He sometimes also lurked in a park near the station or at Ambedkar Nagar bus stand on MB road, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said. His modus operandi consisted of snatching valuables from his targets and then shouting ‘Pakdo pakdo’ (catch, catch) or ‘Chor chor’ (thief, thief). He would then give the impression that he was running after the thief and would sprint away.Since his arrest, the accused Harish has revealed that he sold three stolen gold chains to a goldsmith near his house. Based on this, the police arrested Rajender Aggarwal for buying stolen property. The accused also said that he had started gambling through an online app 'Satta King' around two years ago. He suffered losses and incurred huge amounts of debt, which is why he started snatching chains and mobile phones.