Having snatched four mobile phones within two hours in the early hours of Monday, a 21-year-old man rode his motorcycle straight into a police team that was out to get him in central Delhi’s Paharganj, police said.

The suspect, Rahul, allegedly made a last-ditch attempt to escape by taking a U-turn, but his motorcycle skid and he landed in the police net. His associate, Saurabh, however, managed to escape.

The motorcycle that the two suspects were riding also turned out to be stolen days earlier from the same Paharganj market , said a senior police officer.

Rahul and Saurabh had allegedly snatched the mobile phones of three people in central Delhi locations like Connaught Place and Mandir Marg late Sunday night before venturing into the Nehru Bazar of Paharganj around 12.30 am on Monday.

“The duo went on to snatch the mobile phone of an east Delhi resident who was in the market. Meanwhile, a special police team that was formed to nab this very gang was patrolling the same neighbourhood,” said the officer.

As luck would have it, Rahul and Saurabh allegedly rode straight into the police team in the market, but stopped metres away on spotting the men in uniform.

The moment the duo quickly reversed their motorcycle, the police team chased them on foot. “The snatchers panicked and their motorcycle skid, throwing them off the seat. The police rushed ahead and caught one of them while the other managed to get on his feet and escape,” said the officer.

Rahul was allegedly found to be carrying four mobile phones. A search of his hideout allegedly produced a total of nine stolen mobile phones, said police, adding that they were on the hunt for his absconding associate.

First Published: Jan 09, 2019 15:01 IST