Alert beat policemen chased and caught a former private firm employee who was fleeing in a van after snatching a gold chain from a woman in HSR Layout on Tuesday morning.
The arrested man, Somashekhar, is a resident of Anekal. He had snatched a chain from a woman on 21st Cross in HSR Layout while she was on a morning walk. The victim raised an alarm.
Passers-by alerted the police control room and a message was sent to HSR Layout policemen. Constables Mahesh Nayak and Basavaraj, who were on patrol duty in the area, spotted the van and chased it on their bike. After a few minutes, the duo cornered Somashekhar at a dead-end. Somashekhar jumped out of the van and climbed a house in a bid to escape arrest.
But he stepped on an asbestos sheet, which cracked under his weight. He fell on the ground. He put up a fight when the policemen caught up with him, but the duo overpowered him.
In the melee, Mahesh sustained a fracture on his left hand while Basavarah sustained injuries on his back.
Initial investigations revealed that Somashekhar had joined a private company as house keeping staff, but quit the job.
He stole a van from HSR Layout and began robbing valuables from women, a senior police officer said.
