Man held in chain-snatching case in Gujarat, claims to be son of ex-MLA from MP

A 25-year-old man claiming to be the son of a former Madhya Pradesh MLA has been arrested for allegedly stealing a gold chain from a woman in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city, police said on Friday.

The police are in the process of verifying the claim made by the accused, Pradyuman Singh Chandrawat, who was arrested on Wednesday, an official said.

Chandrawat allegedly snatched a gold chain from a senior citizen in the Ghatlodia area of the city on January 25, inspector J S Kandoria of Ghatlodia police station said.

According to the police, the accused, an employee of a private firm, hailed from Malaheda village in the Neemuch district of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and lived at a PG accommodation in the Thaltej area of Ahmedabad.

“After his arrest, Chandrawat told us that his father was an MLA nearly 17-18 years ago. We are yet to ascertain his claims. He also claimed he has cut off relations with the family,” Kandoria said.

The accused allegedly followed the woman on Gurukul Road and attempted to snatch her gold chain, and when it did not break, he used a wire cutter, police said.

The incident was captured by a CCTV camera installed at a nearby building.

The police scanned CCTV footage from the area and zeroed in on Chandrawat.

The official said, “Chandrawat found that his income was insufficient to fulfil his girlfriend’s wishes, and hence, he took to chain-snatching to make easy money. This was his first crime.”