Engineer shot at while trying to catch snatchers who targeted his doctor wife

Ashok Kumar, an engineer, was admitted at BL Kapoor Hospital outside which the crime occurred. A bullet lodged in his abdomen was removed after surgery. Hospital authorities said he was critical but stable.

delhi Updated: Mar 22, 2018 00:13 IST
A 42-year-old man was shot in his stomach when he tried to take on two motorcycle-borne men who tried to snatch his wife’s gold chain in central Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar on Tuesday night, police said.
A 42-year-old man was shot in his stomach when he tried to take on two motorcycle-borne men who tried to snatch his wife’s gold chain in central Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar on Tuesday night, police said.

A 42-year-old man was shot in his stomach when he tried to take on two motorcycle-borne men who tried to snatch his wife’s gold chain in central Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar on Tuesday night, police said.

Ashok Kumar, an engineer, was admitted at BL Kapoor Hospital outside which the crime occurred. A bullet lodged in his abdomen was removed after surgery. Hospital authorities said he was critical but stable.

His wife is a medical coordinator in the bone marrow transplant division of the hospital.

The two snatchers collided with a car after the snatching but managed to escape. They took away a piece of the gold chain and a locket, MS Randhawa, deputy commissioner of police (central), said.

The crime happened when Kumar and his five-year-old son were visiting the hospital to hand over dinner to his wife Keerti at the hospital. Kumar works for a private firm in Gurgaon.

“The woman had come out of the hospital to meet her husband when she was targeted by two motorcycle-borne men who were riding on the wrong side of the road. As soon as they grabbed her chain and tried to ride away, they ended up colliding with a car,” said the DCP.

As they fell off the motorcycle, Kumar saw an opportunity and rushed to nab them.

“One of them pulled out a pistol and fired at Kumar who was grappling with the other snatcher. The injury forced Kumar to loosen his grip on the suspect and they escaped,” an investigator said.

Kumar was rushed to BL Kapoor Hospital, said an investigator. A case of attempt to murder and robbery has been registered at Prasad Nagar police station and a team has been formed to crack the case.

The eyewitnesses were unable to read the registration number plate of the motorcycle, but investigators said they had certain leads about the snatchers they were following.

Delhi has been witnessing a spurt in cases in which the snatchers are willing to shoot, stab or pull people out of moving vehicles if their robbery attempt is met with resistance.