A mobile phone thief, who hid himself in a gunny bag in a godown when he was chased by public in Tiruvottiyur, was nabbed on Friday.
However, his friend, who was caught and thrashed by the public, managed to escape.
On Friday evening, a woman was talking on her mobile phone while walking near the Raja Kadai area in Tiruvottiyur.
Two persons came on a bike, snatched her phone and fled.
On hearing her cries, Babu, a local, chased the duo on his bike. During the chase, the duo fell off the bike. While one of them was caught, the other ran into a godown. Members of the public thrashed the suspect who was caught, but he escaped.
Meanwhile, the police reached the spot on being alerted.
They searched for the suspect, who disappeared into a godown. They found him hiding in a gunny bag.
The suspect, identified as Rajasekaran, 26, is a resident of Ennore Thazhankuppam and has a few petty cases against him, the police said.
The police are interrogating him and are on the lookout for his friend.
