Snatchers shot at, nabbed in early morning bike chase in west Delhi

New Delhi: The Delhi Police Thursday morning nabbed two alleged snatchers from Khyala area after a bike chase, shooting each of them in leg, an officer said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said the snatchers, Vikas and Ramesh, were taken to hospital for treatment for bullet wounds.

Several instances of robbery were reported in the last few days across the West district with the victims reporting two bikers snatching their gold ornaments waving a dagger.

All snatchings were reported either early in the morning or late at night.

In one such incident, they snatched a woman's gold chain near her house in Khyala. The crime, which was captured in a CCTV camera, showed one of the snatchers brandishing a dagger.

"Considering the sensitivity of the incidents, multiple teams of the police stations and operations unit were put on the task of nabbing them," the DCP said.

Spotters were kept on standby at several vulnerable places and probable escape routes, police personnel in civil clothes were deployed on bikes to follow, stop and check suspicious bikes, he said.

Around 8.30 am Thursday, one such bike was spotted and chased by the team of special staff in the Punjabi Bagh area.

"Other teams of the nearby police stations were also alerted. The suspect bike was overtaken by the police on Apache bike on Nala Road, Khyala and asked to stop," Veer said.

When they didn't, the police team hit them with their bike. After that, both of them took out firearms and tried to fire at the police team, he said.

The officer said police opened fire in self defence, and shot the two men in their legs.

Police confiscated their firearms and dagger, and impounded their bike which was found to have been stolen, he said.

Both men were found to have a criminal record, the DCP said.