City Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan on Thursday rewarded an autorickshaw driver, who chased and caught a person fleeing with a handbag he snatched from a woman passenger travelling in another autorickshaw.
S. Mariamanonmani, a government school teacher from Tiruvannamalai, had come to the city to visit her relatives. She was returning with her family members in an auto after shopping in Purasawalkam on Wednesday. When the autorickshaw neared Nair Bridge around 9 p.m., one of a three-member gang on a bike snatched her handbag containing cash, mobile phone, Aadhaar and debit cards and sped away.
Sureshkumar, 37, who was behind the vehicle, chased the offenders and knocked their two-wheeler down. Public came to his rescue and surrounded two of them, while the third persons managed to flee. The duo was handed over to the Egmore police.
The accused were identified as Vijayakumar, 21, of K.K. Nagar and M. Vijay, 20, of MGR Nagar. Following their confession, the police nabbed the third suspect, a juvenile.
Mr. Viswanathan called Mr. Sureshkumar to his office and rewarded him.
