Mobile phone snatcher held for causing teen's death

AHMEDABAD: A team of Western Railway (WR) police caught a 25-year-old man for causing the death of a 17-year- old boy in a mobile phone snatching incident. The teen died after losing his left hand and leg due to the fall from a moving train. Police suspect the youth is involved in more mobile snatchings involving trains.
Investigators said Sahil Patel, 17, a resident of Vatva, was returning with a group of friends from Palanpur by train on February 19. When the train reached near Girdharnagar Underpass at 1pm, Patel was sitting near the entrance of a coach, talking on the phone. A youth then came near him and snatched his phone. Due to the impact, Patel fell out of the moving train.

"He came under the train and lost his left leg and hand. He was taken to Civil Hospital but succumbed to his injuries on February 22. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and robbery was filed against an unidentified robber," said R M Dave, inspector of LCB, Government Railway Police (GRP).

Western Railway police formed teams to identify the person involved and sought from Patel's co-passengers to get a description of the man. "After gathering details from human and technical intelligence, we zeroed-in on Alimuddin Ansari, a resident of Vatva. We kept watch on him and nabbed him from near Vatva railway station on March 2," said an LCB official.

Ansari was found in possession of Patel's phone, three other phones and cash, all worth Rs 54,550. "The other phones have been sent for analysis to find their owners," said the official.