Bike duo’s mobile snatching attempt caught on camera, manhunt launched

Though there is no official complaint from the victim, police sources confirmed the incident.  Police are on the lookout for two men on a two-wheeler who tried to snatch a mobile phone from a woman pedestrian at Seethapathi Nagar in Velachery on Thursday after the visuals of the attempt started trending in WhatsApp groups. 

“Though we have not received the complaint we are looking into the incident. The CCTV footage has come to our notice also. We are looking for the culprits,” a senior police official said. The visual shows a sari clad college student crossing the road and two men on a bike following her. The pillion rider suddenly tries to snatch the high-end phone from the woman’s right hand. 

The attempt failed as the phone fell down in the process. The woman picked her phone and starting walking again. By the time a car comes and stops in the vicinity. The same two-wheeler duo returned but sped away, probably because of the presence of the car near the student. 

It may be recalled that the city police had been trying to curb snatchings, be it mobile phones or gold chain, by various steps, including installation of more CCTV cameras and beefing up vigil on the streets. City police had even started booking the snatchers under the IPC section for robbery. Senior police officials have been asking all police stations to register all snatching complaints without fail.