CHENNAI: Government Railway Police (GRP) on Saturday arrested a 36-year-old serial offender for snatching a gold chain from a female passenger in an EMU (electric multiple unit) train bound for Arakkonam.

The incident happened on May 11 when the victim was travelling to Arakkonam after meeting a relative in Avadi, police said. It was caught on CCTV camera in the compartment and the video showed the accused watching the woman who was sleeping on one of the seats. The accused snatched her seven sovereigns of the gold chain when the train slowed down to stop at the platform, and he jumped off the train and fled.

GRP registered a case and began investigations based on the CCTV footage that went viral on social media. A special team was formed to trace the suspect and the police arrested Nagaraj (36) of Pattabiram and recovered the stolen gold chain.

Investigations revealed that he was involved in similar chain-snatching and phone-snatching incidents in Anna Nagar too. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.