Delhi MP chain snatcher nabbed was a repeat offender out on bail say police

     New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested a 24-year-old habitual offender for allegedly snatching a 30 gm gold chain from Congress MP R Sudha in the high-security Chanakyapuri area, an official said.
     Sudha, an MP from Tamil Nadu, was on her routine morning walk on Monday when a scooter-borne man wearing a full-face helmet snatched her gold chain near Tamil Nadu Bhavan and sped away. The MP sustained minor injuries in the incident, police said.
     The accused, identified as Sohan Rawat alias Buggu, was arrested early Wednesday morning after multiple police teams tracked his movements using CCTV footage, local intelligence, and technical surveillance.
     "Rawat has been previously involved in 26 criminal cases, mostly related to theft and snatching. He was released from jail on bail on June 27 after being arrested for vehicle theft in the Ambedkar Nagar area earlier this year," a senior police officer said.
     Multiple Delhi Police units, including the Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS), Operation Units of South West and New Delhi districts, were involved in tracking and apprehending the accused, he said.
     Giving details about the arrest, police said that initially, CCTV footage from the vicinity of Tamil Nadu Bhavan and other key stretches under the Nirbhaya Scheme was examined. The suspect's route was traced to Ashram Chowk via Mathura Road.
     "We scrutinised dossiers of recently released criminals and circulated the snatcher's image captured in CCTV across local networks," the officer added.
     The police said on Wednesday morning that a tip-off indicated the presence of the accused near Pushpa Bhawan on the BRT Corridor.
     "A trap was laid, and Rawat was apprehended along with the stolen scooter he used in the offence. He was wearing the same clothes he had on during the snatching, confirming his identity," said the police officer.
     Upon interrogation, Rawat confessed to his involvement. Police said the scooter he used was found to be stolen from the Pul Prahladpur area. Further recovery from him included four mobile phones and another stolen motorcycle linked to Nizamuddin police station.
     Sharing his crime data, police said that the criminal history spans several police jurisdictions, including Amar Colony, R K Puram, Lajpat Nagar, Mandawli, Ambedkar Nagar, Hauz Khas, Kalkaji, Naraina, Defence Colony, Saket and Nizamuddin.
    With his arrest, six cases of snatching and theft have been solved, the officer claimed.
     Police said that they have recovered the snatched gold chain weighing 30.90 grams.
     According to police, Rawat is a school dropout, having studied only up to class 8. He is married but separated from his wife for over a year. His family resides in Chirag Delhi but has disowned him due to his continued criminal activities. He used to work as a salesman before turning to crime.
     Police said he is a master of disguise and constantly changes his rented accommodation to avoid police surveillance. Most recently, he was arrested in April for motor vehicle theft by Ambedkar Nagar police.
     Police also claimed that there is a drop in snatching incidents due to surveillance.
     "PCR calls related to snatching in the New Delhi district have declined by 48 per cent. The detection rate of such cases in the district stands at 83 per cent. Similarly, South district has recorded a 20 per cent drop in snatching-related PCR calls, with a detection rate of 65 per cent," the officer claimed.
    Given Rawat's long list of previous offences and the fact that he committed this snatching soon after being released on bail, police are likely to move court seeking the cancellation of his bail.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)