Ardent fan nabs chain-snatcher in Andheri, meets Amitabh Bachchan later

Jafar Shaikh with Amitabh Bachchan

An ardent fan of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan last week nabbed a chain-snatcher while he was fleeing with a pedestrian's gold chain in Andheri. In the scuffle, the chain snatcher slashed the victim's hand with a blade as a result of which the latter had to get around ten stitches.

Vasai resident, Jafar Shaikh, 41, runs a key-making shop in Andheri East and visits Amitabh Bachchan's bungalow every Sunday during the actor's weekly meet. At 7 pm last Saturday, Shaikh was working in his shop when the accused, identified as Imran Sabbir Shaikh, 22, snatched the gold chain of a 60-year-old woman walking on the road across the shop. That's when Shaikh chased him for a good kilometre and managed to stop him.

The robber had slashed Shaikh's hand

"I saw the accused snatching the gold chain and chased him for a kilometre. As I stopped him, he took a blade out of his pocket and slashed both my hands. I retaliated and dragged him till the police station and got him arrested," the victim, a regular at Bachchan's open meet in Juhu, told mid-day.

"I am very happy that the woman got her ornament back. I am a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan and after this incident, I met him at his house. When he asked me about my hand, I narrated the incident to him. He congratulated me and hugged me," Shaikh added. He then presented a photo frame to Bachchan with a collage of 26 different photos of the actor. Senior inspector Vijay Velge of Andheri police station said, "The accused Imran Shaikh is in custody. Jafar Shaikh did a great job." The accused has been involved in dozens of cases.

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