The family of a victim of chain snatching in Dombivali (East) has accused the police of negligence, and said she was asked to come to the police station when she was injured, and her statement was recorded five days later.
The police, however, have denied negligence.
On August 19, Indumati Chaudhari (77) was seriously injured after motorcycle-borne men snatched her gold mangalsutra and pushed her while she was on her morning walk on Chedda Road around 6.30 a.m.
ADVERTISEMENT
The unidentified accused pushed Ms. Chaudhari from behind and she fell on her face, injuring her nose, lips and jaw.
She also fractured left hand and thumb, and was hospitalised for three days.
Ms. Chaudhari’s son Jayesh said the police insisted on her coming to the police station to file a complaint. “My mother had to be hospitalised because of the injuries. How could she go to the police station?” he asked. He said his friend went to the police station and requested the police to come to their house to record a statement. “My brother also posted a comment on social media about how the police had been negligent. This eventually put them under pressure and the police visited our house on Saturday, five days after the incident,” Mr. Chaudhari said.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the police had visited the crime site on August 19 but did not register any complaint.
S.P. Aaher, senior police inspector, Ramnagar police station, refuted the allegations. “There might have been some misunderstanding. We didn’t know which hospital the victim was admitted to. In most cases, policemen go to hospitals to record statements and register the first information reports,” he said.
Mr. Aaher said the rider had worn a helmet and the pillion rider had worn a raincoat, due to which they could not be identified, adding that further investigations were under way.
The chain snatching was one among a series of such incidents in the area. Nearly 10 similar cases have been reported in the past six months.
A source said six police teams have been formed to and investigate the case and check if the previous cases are linked to it.