Walking home, Delhi journalist followed by men on bike, her phone snatched

“After recording the woman’s statement, we added IPC section 356 (assault or criminal force in an attempt to commit theft) to the FIR,” said Additional DCP (South East) Kumar Gyanesh.

In a video of Monday’s incident, Radhika Chaudhary can be seen walking with her phone in her hand. The two accused — one of them wearing a helmet — follow her. They drive close to Chaudhary, snatch her phone and speed away. Chaudhary loses her balance, throws her bag on the road and tries to chase the men.

Chaudhary, who works with JK 24×7 news channel as a producer and a reporter, told The Indian Express, “I left office around 6.30 pm. After a minute of walking, two bike-borne men came from behind, snatched my phone, and fled. I tried to chase them… I tried to convince people on a bike to chase them, but they refused. I went back to office. With a friend’s help, I filed a police complaint… I told officers to come with me to the spot and recover CCTV footage from the area.”

Chaudhary added, “For 30 minutes after the incident, I called my number and it was ringing. Police could have tracked it.”

“The incident took place on the main road… CCTV footage from the spot and the nearby areas are being scanned. We are surveying movements of criminals with a similar modus operandi. Records of criminals on bail are being looked into,” said Gyanesh.

The incident came a day after ANI journalist Joymala Bagchi was pulled out of a moving auto in South Delhi’s C R Park by two men on a bike, who then snatched her phone. She suffered injuries to her chin, jaw and arms. The accused are yet to be arrested.

A Delhi Police spokesperson said, “To curb street crime, we have deployed patrolling teams and pickets across the city. We have identified a few suspects who attacked the woman in CR Park. The accused will be arrested soon.”