Mumbai: 2 years in jail for habitual gold chain snatcher

Mumbai: A 46-year-old habitual chain snatcher was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment by a sessions court for snatching a woman’s chain through a long distance train’s window. 

The incident happened on March 18, 2021 when the woman, Vimal Lokare, was travelling to Madgaon in the Jan Shatabdi Express with her son and another male family member. The family boarded the train at Dadar and the train was passing by Matunga railway station when Chhakhanlal Sonkar snatched her gold chain. The woman’s son had tried to chase him and fell from the running train and sustained a leg fracture. 

Accused identified by victim's son

The police found Sonkar, a native of Uttar Pradesh, through their probe of CCTV cameras. They also found the gold chain in his possession. He had claimed before the court that he was falsely implicated due to his past criminal antecedents. He also pointed out that if he was a habitual thief, he would have disposed of the stolen property immediately and would not have kept it in his pocket. 

Lokare’s son had testified against Sonkar during the trial. He had also identified him in the court, which considered this as direct evidence and held him guilty of theft. 

Sonkar was also charged with an offence under the Railways Act pertaining to committing an act with intent or knowledge that it is going to endanger the life of a person travelling in train. 

Additional Sessions Judge SU Hake said in the judgment that the son fell down while chasing the accused, but the latter cannot be held responsible and it cannot be construed that the accused did a certain act in relation to the railway with intent and knowledge that by such an act, he will be endangering the life of person travelling by railway.