BCA graduate who learned snatching from YouTube, his MSc accomplice held; gold chains recovered: Police

The team, led by Inspector Rajiv Kumar, SHO of the police station 31, arrested the accused Abhishek Ojha (30), a native of Agra currently residing in Panchkula. His associate, Ashok Kumar (28) also from Agra, was also arrested during a follow-up raid in Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The accused were arrested in connection with a FIR on July 24, registered at the police station 31, Chandigarh, on the complaint of a local resident, Preeti. She reported that on July 23, at around 8.30 pm, she was returning home when an unidentified bike rider snatched her gold mangalsutra near the AFFWA Complex in Sector 31. She informed police that she would be able to identify the accused if confronted.

Following her complaint, the police arrested Ojha on August 1 and recovered a knife from his possession. During the interrogation, he confessed to multiple snatchings in different areas of Chandigarh, including Sectors 31, 34, 36, 39, and 19, as well as in Mohali and Panchkula. He also admitted to sending the snatched jewellery to his associate Ashok in Agra, through courier services.

Police obtained a five-day remand for Abhishek and launched raids in Agra and Aligarh, leading to the arrest of Ashok on August 3. Ashok was found in possession of the mangalsutra that had been snatched in the Sector-31 case. He was produced before court and sent to three-day police remand.

A subsequent raid conducted in Panchkula on August 4 led to the recovery of three gold chains, two gold pendants, and a pair of number plates. The Bajaj Pulsar N-250 motorcycle used in the crimes, which had no number plate, was also seized. Police also recovered a DTDC courier slip, confirming that the stolen jewellery had been sent to Ashok by Abhishek.

Police said that during investigation, it was revealed that Abhishek, a BCA graduate, previously worked as an HR professional at a multinational company in Mohali. He told police he learned how to commit snatching by watching YouTube videos and initially carried out crimes in Agra, where three snatching cases are already registered against him. He later moved to Panchkula in March 2025 and began targeting women across the Tricity areas. He often removed his motorcycle’s number plate to evade identification and committed crimes for “pleasure and easy money”.

His associate, Ashok, is an MSc graduate and works in a courier company. While he has no previous criminal record, he played a key role in concealing and storing stolen items on behalf of Abhishek, a police official added.

Both accused are currently in police remand, and further investigation is underway to trace more stolen property and examine any additional accomplices involved in the snatching racket, police said.