19 May,2011 07:07 AM IST | | Anurag Jadli
Accused fell off the fourth floor of a building in IP Extension while trying to evade cops. Will be arrested after he is discharged from GTB Hospital in East Delhi
If his first day on the 'job' is any indication, 30-year-old Zaheer Ahmed does not have a bright future in the world of crime. The alleged chain snatcher is now biding his time on a bed at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in east Delhi after falling off the fourth floor of a building in IP Extension while trying to escape from cops. Delhi Police officials say Zaheer will be taken into custody after he is discharged.u00a0u00a0
Break a leg! Zaheer claims he is an auto rickshaw driver and
was only accompanying the other accused, who's been arrested.
PIC/Subhash Barolia
The chase
On May 8, cops got a tip-off that two chain snatchers had been spotted near Himalaya Apartments IP Extension area. Police personnel rushed to the locality and after a while discovered Zaheer and Akbar alias Aslam (32), both residents of Shahdara. The duo saw the cops and tried to escape on their motorbike, but they lost balance and fell. Akbar was immediately arrested, while Zaheer managed to get away. He entered the fourth floor of one of the buildings in Himalaya Apartments.
Zaheer Ahmed has got seventeen fractures from his waist to
toes.
"From there he kept threatening us that he would jump if we tried to follow him. After a while he tried to flee by climbing down the drainpipe of the building but he fell. We immediately rushed him to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in east Delhi. But doctors said he was critical and we then transferred him to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in Shahdara. He has got seventeen fractures from his waist to toes. After he is discharged we will take him into custody," said a police official.
First attempt
Cops said some gold chains have been recovered from the duo. "As far as we know, this was Zaheer's first involvement in any form of crime. He has previous record. According to his statement, he is an auto driver. The other snatcher, Akbar was wanted for several cases of snatching, theft, dacoity and some under the Arms Act. We recovered the bike with a fake number plate and also found some gold chains in their possession. Further investigation is in progress," one of the police officials told MiD DAY.
Bed rest: The 30-year-old alleged snatcher is now admitted at
Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital (above) in east Delhi after the
incident on May 8. PIC/Subhash Barolia
"I am not involved in any criminal activity. When I saw two policemen in civil dress approaching I was scared and tried to flee from the spot. I entered the apartment and rushed to the fourth floor. Cops followed me and tried to stop me but my mind wasn't working at the time. I tried to escape from the building by climbing down the drainpipe.
But I slipped and fell. This was the biggest mistake of my life and I have got several fractures to show for it. I don't think that I'll ever be able to walk," said Zaheer Ahmed. "I am an auto driver by profession and know Akbar because he stays in my colony. On that day he gave me a lift. I had no idea things would turn out this way," he added.
Bad luck!
Two CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) women constables in plainclothes were attacked by bike-borne snatchers near Shastri Park Metro station in East Delhi in the afternoon of May 12, police said. A woman constable reportedly threw a brick at the motorcyclists and managed to bring one of them down.
The constables, Kanika Kumari Sahu (25) and Ritu Rabha (23), were heading to Shastri Park Metro station around 3 pm when the bikers tried to rob them, police said. "One of the accused, who was riding pillion, tried to snatch Rabha's chain. But she immediately picked up a stone and threw it at the snatcher, bringing him down. He was arrested immediately," said a CISF official.
The arrested person has been identified as Hafiz alias Chuttan, Katiyar said, adding that his accomplice, Sabu, is still at large. According to a senior police officer, the constables reportedly rushed towards Hafiz after he fell from the bike and started beating him up. Seeing the commotion, a passer-by made a call to the Police Control Room (PCR), and Hafiz was handed over to the police.
