Chain Snatching Spree Across Tilak Nagar, Ghatkopar & Vikhroli: 1 Arrested Red-Handed, 3 Cases Solved

Mumbai: A series of audacious chain-snatching incidents carried out in rapid succession across Tilak Nagar, Ghatkopar, and Vikhroli on the morning of April 15 has sparked alarm in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs. Motorcycle-borne robbers targeted multiple women during morning walks, executing four chain-snatching incidents within a short span.

In a swift breakthrough, Pantnagar police have arrested one accused red-handed, leading to the detection of three chain snatching cases, while his accomplice remains absconding.

The arrested accused has been identified as Mohammad Ali Shaukat Ali Mirza, 19, a resident of Rafiq Nagar, Govandi. Police said his associate, identified as Irfan, managed to escape and is currently being traced.

In one of the incidents, 74-year-old Kishori Mehta, wife of Dr. Pravin Mehta and a resident of Garodia Nagar, Ghatkopar East, was targeted during her routine morning walk. At around 6.25 am, while walking towards a local garden via Pushpavihar Junction, she was suddenly pushed from behind by a man who forcibly snatched her gold chain.

The violent jerk caused injuries to her neck, and she cried out for help shouting “thief, thief”. Police personnel present nearby immediately responded and chased the attacker, managing to apprehend Mirza on the spot, while his accomplice fled with the motorcycle.

The victim was taken to Rajawadi Hospital for treatment before lodging a formal complaint. The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, for robbery and snatching. The stolen gold chain, weighing 28 grams and valued at approximately Rs2 lakh, was recovered from the accused.

During interrogation, Mirza allegedly confessed to committing two additional chain snatching incidents in the Tilak Nagar area the same morning.

Two More Snatching Cases in Tilak Nagar

In the first incident, 56-year-old Shantala Kiran Swadi, a homemaker from Tilak Nagar, Chembur West, was out for a morning walk with her husband at around 6.10 am near the Universal School gate when two men on a motorcycle without a number plate snatched her gold mangalsutra weighing 12.66 grams and worth around Rs1.55 lakh before fleeing towards the area.

In another case, 42-year-old teacher Kanchanlata Vipin Singh, a resident of Pestom Sagar, Chembur West, was waiting for a bus at the MG Road bus stop near Somaiya School at around 7 am when two unidentified men on a motorcycle forcibly snatched her gold chain weighing 15 grams and valued at Rs2.25 lakh and escaped towards Amar Mahal.

Police said both incidents were carried out using a numberless Pulsar motorcycle.

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Sports Bike Used In Vikhroli Chain Snatching Case

In a separate incident reported from Vikhroli, 47-year-old Sujata Dilip Ambure, a staff nurse at a BMC hospital, was targeted while on a morning walk with her daughter along the Eastern Express Highway service road near Vikroli East. At around 7.25 am, two men on a sports bike snatched her mangalsutra weighing 11 grams and worth Rs70,000 before fleeing towards Thane.

A case has been registered at Vikhroli police station, and further investigation is underway.

Police said the arrest of Mirza has helped crack multiple cases across jurisdictions, and efforts are on to apprehend his absconding accomplice Irfan. Authorities are also probing whether the duo is part of a larger chain-snatching racket operating across the eastern suburbs.

The spate of incidents has once again raised concerns over morning-time street crime targeting women in residential pockets and busy commuting routes across Mumbai’s eastern corridor.

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