Hyderabad: In a quick breakthrough, Mehdipatnam police on Tuesday arrested a chain snatcher who allegedly attacked a senior citizen and decamped with her gold chain earlier this week. The accused, identified as Mohd Najeeb, 35, a lab technician from Sarwar Nagar in Asif Nagar, was caught red-handed at Mallepally X Roads while trying to sell the stolen ornament.
According to police, the crime unfolded on Sunday morning when 65-year-old G. Chandrakala stepped out of her home in Vijay Nagar Colony to buy milk. As she made her way back, an unknown man wearing a helmet approached her from behind and casually asked in Telugu, “Vijay Nagar Colony idena?” pretending to seek directions. Before she could respond, he lunged at her neck, attempting to snatch her two-tola (20-gram) gold chain.
Undeterred, Chandrakala clung to her chain with both hands and fought back. The assailant pushed her to the ground and forcefully yanked at the chain, breaking it in two. He fled with 14 grams of gold, while she managed to hold on to a smaller piece. The victim lodged a complaint with Mehdipatnam police, urging them to take swift action.
A special crime team, led by Detective Inspector G. Balakrishna and under the supervision of DCP G. Chandra Mohan, launched an investigation. Acting on a tip-off, they tracked the suspect’s movements and closed in on him at Mallepally X Roads around 10:30 am on Tuesday.
During interrogation, Najeeb reportedly confessed to the snatching, revealing that his addiction to online betting and Ganja had pushed him towards crime. Unable to meet his lavish lifestyle demands, he resorted to targeting unsuspecting morning walkers.
The police recovered the stolen gold chain, weighing 14 grams, from his possession. Najeeb has been booked under Cr. No. 164/2025 and charged under sections 304(2) and 307 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He has been remanded to judicial custody.
Senior officers praised the efforts of the crime staff involved in the case, including Inspector S. Mallesh, DSI Ahmed Pasha, SI K. Srinivas Reddy, and PSI Ram Manohar, who worked under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner K. Vijay Srinivas.
