Woman shows exemplary courage, pulls down snatcher from his motorbike

Gurdeep Singh Mann

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 29

A woman showed exemplary courage today after a man tried to snatch her chain. Pooja, a resident of Malviya Mohalla at Secretariat Road, was returning home after buying milk from a nearby dairy when an unidentified youth on a mobike grabbed her gold chain and tried to flee.

“I pulled back my dupatta with a jerk from the boy’s fingers after he pulled the gold chain from my neck. The jerk pulled him down from the mobike but somehow he ran away after leaving his vehicle,” Pooja said.

The accused then reached the rooftop of someone’s house in nearby Poojawala Mohalla. “Bystanders and shopkeepers gathered around me, chased the culprit and caught hold of him,” she added.

The area residents said the snatcher was professional and had managed to take away the gold chain with finesse.

“The residents of the area, acquaintances and others gathered around and gave the accused the treatment he deserved,” the woman said.

“It is a matter of shame for the Bathinda police that despite the tall claims of the Punjab government, there is no check on the ever-rising criminal activities,” said Gian Chand Bansal, a resident of Model Town, Phase II.

He said this is the fourth snatcher caught by the alert residents. “Earlier, a snatcher in Ganesh Nagar—in the area under the Civil Lines police station, the Power House Road—under the Cantonment police station and at the Railway Road—under the Kotwali police station are caught by the area residents,” Bansal added.

Jaswant Singh, a resident of Malviya Nagar, residing a few houses away from the victim’s s house, too, pointed fingers at the functioning of the Bathinda police as his stolen bike is yet to be recovered.

“The mobike was stolen from just outside my house 17 days ago. I took up the matter with the policemen at the Kotwali police station but nobody was ready to listen despite lodging a complaint in this regard,” Jaswant said.

He accused the policemen and the Punjab government of creating a system which does not allow a genuine person to reclaim his stolen or snatched goods. “The politicians are befooling the masses, which is clear from the ever-rising road accidents and unchecked incidents of rash driving and stray cattle menace. Corrupt practices and lack of courage to punish the guilty are the main reasons which allow the criminals to raise their ugly head,” he said.

Residents said the public will have to protest the deteriorating law and order situation and the corrupt practices.

SSP Indermohan Bhatti said the CIA branch of the Bathinda police arrested two snatchers today and have intensified their vigil.