Two chain snatchers assaulted a 37-year-old policeman with a knife when he tried to nab them on Madhavaram High Road on Sunday. Despite suffering an injury, the policeman caught one of them and a patrol team caught the other.
D. Sivalingam, 37, attached to the intelligence section of the city police, was going around Sembium to gather reports about political events in the locality.
“Usually lot of posters are pasted below the Perambur flyover. When I was checking them out, I spotted two youngsters on a bike. I could see a knife’s handle on the front portion of their two-wheeler. I followed them on his bike. When they slowed down near a speed-breaker at the Madhavaram High Road - Raghavan Street junction, I intercepted their bike and took their keys.
“When I confronted them, the youngster who was riding the bike (later identified as Bharat Raj of M.K.B. Nagar) attacked me with the knife. I sustained injuries on my fingers. When he tried to escape, I caught him and he inflicted wounds on my left shoulder,” said Mr. Sivalingam.
However, he managed to nab Bharat Raj. The other person, Ajith of Kodungaiyur, fled the scene. “Luckily, a patrol vehicle was coming from the opposite side of the road. When I called out to them, sub-inspector Bhaskar of the Sembium station nabbed Ajith,” Mr. Sivalingam said.
Interrogation revealed that they were looking for potential targets for armed robbery and had previous cases against them. The two have been remanded in judicial custody.
Mr. Sivalingam was rewarded by the city Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan.