Seventeen-year-old Surya may appear frail, even meek. On Wednesday, however, he showed how being conscientious can make a person demonstrate much bravery.
Surya was standing near a car accessories shop at Anna Nagar D Block when he saw someone coming out from a clinic running. Behind him, in hot pursuit, was a woman who was asking the public to catch him.
The woman was Dr. Amudha, a gynaecologist who runs the clinic. “A man came to my clinic and inquired about what medical facilities were offered in the clinic. He asked me whether his girl friend could get treatment there and went out. After a few minutes, he came back, covering his face with a handkerchief. Before I realised who he was, he hit me on my shoulder and snatched a gold chain from my neck,” said Dr. Amudha.
Hot pursuit
Alert Surya started chasing him though no one else came forward to help. After a sprint of nearly half a kilometre, Surya caught hold of the suspect’s collar and gave a kick on his right leg. The suspect, who was heavily built, lost his balance and fell on the road. By then Surya’s friend had come to help him. They both pinned down the suspect.
Using his friend’s phone, Surya called the police. Before they could arrive, he gave an earful to the suspect, asking if he wasn’t ashamed. Hearing about the teen’s brave act, City Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan called Surya to his office on Thursday and gave him a cash award. “People should draw inspiration from Surya and come forward to assist the police in cracking cases and nabbing criminals. This will have a deterrent effect on criminals,” said Mr. Viswanathan.
Explaining the sequence of events that led to the nabbing of the suspect, Surya said, “It seemed that the accused was new to the profession. As he was running, the gold chain was coming apart and the pieces were dropping on the road. I had to collect them while chasing him. Holding his collar, I kicked him on his leg. He lost his balance and fell down.”
Seeing the suspect on the road, Surya gave him water from a shop nearby. “I called out to people for help when I was running but none came forward. After the police came, people came near and started taking photos on their mobile phones,” he said.
