Took to crime to fund treatment, claims snatcher

Noida: A man arrested for snatching mobile phones has told police he took to crime to fund his treatment for HIV in a private hospital. The accused, from Bulandshahr, had been snatching phones in Kasna and Knowledge Park areas along with an accomplice for the past few days.
A father of two children, the man claimed he came to know that he was HIV-positive three months ago but didn’t inform his family. He was arrested from Kasna on Sunday evening along with an accomplice, Manoj Kumar. At least seven phones and a bike used in committing the crimes were recovered from them.

Manoj told a news conference he was unaware of his associate’s ailment and it was, in fact, the latter who had inducted him into crime. “He is a painter by profession and so is Manoj. We are not going into the depths of his claim as most accused try such tactics to claim innocence. We have produced them in court. Jail authorities can get his medical tests done and verify the claim,” said Ajay Kumar, the SHO of Kasna police station.

The accused has even given the name of a private hospital where, he claimed, he had been undergoing treatment. He told police he wasn’t a hardened criminal but had started snatching phones only 15 days ago.

“They had been moving around on a bike without changing its number plate. In fact, the number plate was reversed so that the registration number is not visible to anyone,” the officer said.

A spokesperson for the private hospital said the claims could be verified by the medical records department. “We have not been contacted yet,” he said.