Journalist's phone snatched in east Delhi

In yet another incident of snatching in the national capital, a 32-year-old journalist working with a leading english daily newspaper was allegedly robbed of his mobile phone by an unidentified man in east Delhi's New Ashok Nagar, police said on Thursday. The scribe hails from Haryana and lives in south Delhi's Chattarpur area.

The incident took place on Wednesday at around 8.30 pm when the journalist was talking over his phone at the market near the New Ashok Nagar Metro Station. A man snatched his mobile phone and disappeared into the crowd, a senior police officer said.

Unlike most snatching incidents where the assailants prefer riding a motorcycle for an easy getaway, in this case, the culprit came on foot. "I was talking over the phone when a man came from behind and snatched my phone and ran away. I gave chase but could not catch him," the victim said, adding that the spot of crime was about 200 metres away from the metro station.

The scribe kept calling and sending text messages on his number as advised by the police who managed to trace the handset but failed to nab the culprit or recover the phone. "A police officer advised me to send messages on my phone so that it could be traced as the mobile was still switched on. After I reported the incident, the police traced the location of my phone in Shakarpur. They sent a team there but failed to nab the culprit," the victim said.

A case has been registered under sections 356 (assault or criminal force in attempt to commit theft of property carried by a person) and 379 (punishment for theft) at the New Ashok Nagar Police Station. Police are examining the CCTV footage to identify and nab the accused, they said. This is not the first time a journalist was targeted by snatchers in the national capital.

On September 22, a woman journalist was injured after she attempted to resist a snatching bid in south Delhi's Chittaranjan Park while she was returning home in an auto-rickshaw. Few days later, another woman journalist's mobile phone was snatched by two bike-borne men in southeast Delhi's Okhla.