Mumbai: P D’Mello Road was witness to a scene straight out of a Bollywood potboiler on Wednesday evening, when two female constables with the Dongri police chased and arrested a thief who was trying to flee with a stolen bicycle.
The chase began at Raichur Street around 6.30 p.m. Constables Ashwini Pawar and Sheetal Rikame were patrolling the area in a special mobile unit meant to focus on safety of women, when a local resident, Ramsagar Yadav, came running up to the vehicle.
When Ms. Pawar, who was the senior most aboard the vehicle, enquired with Mr. Yadav, he said he had just seen someone steal his bicycle, and that the thief was getting away.
“We rushed to the spot just in time to see a man speeding away on a bicycle. We gave a chase and reached P D’Mello road, which was jammed with traffic. I asked Ms. Rikame, who was driving, to turn on the siren. We reached close to the start of the Eastern Freeway, where we got stuck,” Ms. Pawar said.
Worried that the thief would get away, Ms. Pawar asked Ms. Rikame to keep her efforts on, and got off the vehicle while it was still moving. She ran forward and saw a lone cyclist in the distance trying to slip into the traffic.
“I ran and managed to catch up with him just as he was about to get away. I caught hold of his collar and pulled him off his bike, just as Ms. Rikame reached the spot in the vehicle,” Ms. Pawar said.
Amidst the excitement on part of motorists, the two policewomen bundled the man into the vehicle, and asked a local resident, who is known to them, to bring the bicycle to the police station. The alleged thief, identified as Ibrar Khan (37), was arrested and charged with theft under the Indian Penal Code.
Senior police inspector Sandip Bhagdikar, Dongri police station, said, “Cases of bicycle theft are difficult to detect as opposed to motor vehicle thefts, parts of a bicycle are sold to various parties. We are finding out if Mr. Khan has committed any other offences. We commend the efforts made by Ms. Pawar and Ms. Rikame.”
