Mumbai: Thief falls off bike while trying to snatch woman's chain

(Left to right) Nadeem Patel, Pradeep Bute, Rohit Salunkhe and Shubhangi Kadam

A Mira Road based duo's attempt to snatch a 60-year-old's chain ended in their downfall, quite literally. Accused Sarafaraz Ansari and Usman Khan targeted Dahisar resident Shubhangi Kadam on Wednesday morning while she was out for a walk and tried to flee after snatching her gold chain. But fate had other plans, as Khan lost his balance and fell from the bike soon after. Three men from a local Ganpati mandal later caught him.

Sarfaraz Ansari and Usman Khan

Rider flees
According to police sources, the incident occurred around 6.30 am in the Ashokvan area on Nancy Road, Dahisar East. Kadam was heading home after her walk, when Khan snatched her chain. He fell from the bike, while Ansari managed to flee. Kadam started shouting 'chor, chor' as Ansari fled. The incident was captured on a CCTV camera installed at a house on the same road.

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That's when Rohit Salunkhe, Nadeem Patel and Pradeep Bute from the Sai Shradha Mitra Mandal heard her and rushed to catch the accused. They were having tea at a stall after being awake all night at the pandal.

Broken chain
"We saw one person trying to cross the road while the elderly woman ran behind him shouting 'chor chor'. Nadeem was the first one to rush and catch the accused before he could cross the road," said Salunkhe, who works as a graphic designer.

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"His associate fled from the spot. A few parts of the broken chain were in his hand, while the rest lay on the road. Rohit picked it up and handed it over to the woman," said Bute, who is an autorickshaw driver. "The accused requested me to let him go and not hand him over to the police," said Patel, who works as a technician. However, Khan was handed over to the cops, who praised Patel, Salunkhe and Bute for helping Kadam. "The Dahisar police officials and zonal DCP Vinay Kumar Rathod greeted us in front of hundreds of people," said Patel.

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In custody
"The arrested accused are residents of Mira Road and have a previous criminal record. During inquiry, Khan revealed Ansari's name and he was later arrested from Mira Road," said a police official from Dahisar police station. "We have booked them under robbery charges. They were produced before the court and have been remanded in police custody for three days," the official added.

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