Couple among three injured in two snatching incidents in Chennai

CHENNAI: Two separate snatching incidents in the city on Monday left a couple and an elderly woman injured, prompting police to intensify surveillance and deploy special teams to trace the perpetrators. According to police sources, D Baskar (65) and his wife B Malarkodi (53) of Old Washermenpet were attacked while riding their electric two-wheeler on Dr Radhakrishnan Salai near the police headquarters. The couple was returning home after visiting their daughter in Mylapore when two men on a motorcycle approached them from behind. The pillion rider first attempted to snatch Malarkodis gold chain. As Baskar tried to steer away, the assailants pulled her handbag, causing the couple to lose balance and fall off the bike. The duo fled with the womans mobile phone worth `7,000. Baskar suffered a shoulder fracture, while Malarkodi sustained injuries on her head and ear. Both were taken to the Government Royapettah Hospital. The Marina police formed special teams and are examining CCTV footage from Kamarajar Salai and neighbouring stretches. Later, they arrested Ramadoss (25) of Nochi Nagar near Srinivasapuram in connection with the snatching. He was produced before a magistrate court and remanded in judicial custody. Efforts are under way to trace his accomplice. In Kundrathur, Kausalya (70) of Gajalakshmi Nagar was attacked during her morning walk. A youth approached her on a bike under the pretext of asking for directions, pushed her down and fled with her five-sovereign gold chain. Kundrathur police said CCTV footage suggest the suspect could be a habitual offender. A manhunt is in progress. Meanwhile, police data show Chennai recorded 35 chain-snatching cases between January and October 2024, which dropped to 21 during the same period in 2025. Mobile-snatching cases also fell from 275 in 2024 to 144 in 2025.