New Delhi, March 25 The Anti-Snatching Cell of the South-West District Police has arrested two alleged snatchers after a sustained operation lasting more than 15 days, officials said on Wednesday. The police also recovered a scooty used in the crime, clothes worn during the offence, and a stolen gold chain locket bearing the ‘Om’ symbol.
The accused have been identified as Akash Awasthi (27), a resident of D-Block near Gurudwara, East Vinod Nagar, and Kartik Arora (26), a resident of West Vinod Nagar, Delhi. According to police officials, both are habitual offenders and have been previously involved in multiple cases of snatching and theft.
The case dates back to February 23, when a 38-year-old woman, a resident of Nanakpura, Moti Bagh, was returning home with her two minor daughters. Around 2.30 p.m., two unidentified men on a black scooty approached from behind and snatched her gold chain near Subhash Park in the F Block area. The chain had a small heart-shaped pendant inscribed with “Om”. Both accused were wearing black helmets and fled towards Benito Juarez Marg after committing the crime.
During the investigation, police found that the same accused were involved in another similar snatching incident in the same area a week earlier. To crack the case, a special team comprising Head Constables Sumer, Anil, Narender, Mansingh, and Sunny was formed under the leadership of Inspector Hari Singh, in charge of the Anti-Snatching Cell, and under the supervision of ACP (Operations) Sanghmitra.
The team analysed CCTV footage and developed intelligence inputs, scrutinising over 500 cameras covering a stretch of approximately 90 kilometres. Based on technical surveillance, the registration number of the scooty was identified. On March 6, the team apprehended the two accused near Gurudwara, East Vinod Nagar, in the jurisdiction of Kalyanpuri Police Station while they were riding a scooty.
During sustained interrogation, both accused confessed to their involvement in two snatching incidents under the jurisdiction of the South Campus Police Station. It was also revealed that Akash Awasthi used his own scooty for committing the crimes and had covered its registration number with black tape to evade identification.
Police recovered the scooty, the clothes worn during the crime, and the stolen gold locket from their possession. The accused are reportedly involved in over 10 criminal cases each across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.
Two cases under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been worked out, and further investigation is underway, said DCP South-West District Amit Goel.
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