He lost a leg in a snatching attempt, got a prosthetic limb — it led cops to him

In 2022, 22-year-old Hassan, known as Golu, lost his right leg after it was crushed by a train during an alleged snatch-and-run. Despite his injury, the young man returned to a life of crime, police claim. On August 25, Haridesh Sharma, a 67-year-old resident of Ajmer, reported that her yellow purse had been stolen just before the Ranikhet Express arrived at Sarai Rohilla Railway Station in North Delhi.

The stolen purse contained a mobile phone, Aadhaar card, cash, a charger, and a 56-gram gold chain. A police team, under the leadership of Inspector Lalit Kumar and ACP Sanjay Bhardwaj, investigated the case by studying CCTV footage from various locations. The footage revealed that two suspects were frequently traveling on the slow-moving train, boarding and disembarking.

One of the suspects walked in an unusual manner, which caught the attention of the police. Following this, they apprehended Dilshad, Hassan's alleged accomplice, near Zakhira Flyover around 5 am. Dilshad confessed to Hassan's involvement and admitted that they had attempted to snatch mobile phones from passengers on the same train before targeting Ms. Sharma.

Hassan was subsequently detained near the Ganda Nala, Inderlok underpass on August 26. Police recovered the complainant's gold chain and Samsung S-25 phone, as well as another 56-gram gold chain from Dilshad's residence, which he claimed was stolen around 15 days prior. Police stated that Hassan had a history of targeting slow-moving trains near Sarai Rohilla Railway Station, often boarding at opportune moments to target vulnerable passengers and swiftly fleeing the scene.

The distinctive walking pattern of Hassan, combined with his prosthetic limb, proved crucial in identifying and apprehending the suspect. The police are now investigating whether Hassan and Dilshad were involved in other railway-area snatch-and-run incidents.