Chennai: 25-year-old woman tried to thwart snatching, injured in fall from EMU; passengers nab man

CHENNAI: A 25-year-old woman forensic officer suffered serious injuries after falling from a moving EMU while trying to stop a mobile phone snatcher, near Tambaram on Sunday evening.

The victim, identified as Aadolin Prabha from Tenkasi, works in the Forensic Department in Mylapore and stays in a hostel. On Sunday evening, Prabha was travelling from Tambaram to Chennai Beach on an EMU.

She was speaking on her mobile phone when the incident occurred. As the train left Sanatorium railway station, a 27-year-old man snatched her phone and attempted to flee.

Prabha tried to stop the suspect, but lost her balance and fell from the moving train, and suffered injuries on her head and face.

Alarmed by this, passengers stopped the train, chased down the suspect, overpowered him, and handed him over to the RPF. Meanwhile, Prabha was rushed to the Tambaram Government Hospital, from where she was shifted to a private hospital.

The police identified the snatcher as Ajay, who claimed during inquiry that the phone belonged to his wife. He created a ruckus during questioning, which made the Railway Police suspect that he was intoxicated.

Later, Ajay's wife arrived at the Tambaram Railway police station with their baby and demanded Ajay’s release. When police refused, she attempted to jump in front of an approaching EMU with the child. But RPF personnel intervened in time and prevented the suicide attempt before taking her and the infant to the RPF office for counselling and inquiry.

Officials told her that her husband had been caught by passengers while committing the offence and that legal action would be taken. She was later allowed to leave with the child.

Tambaram Railway Police have registered a case and recovered the stolen mobile phone from Ajay, who was remanded in judicial custody.