Was it the right move for a passerby to stop the accused by throwing a sack, or should people themselves not intervene in such cases? If Junaid already had heart disease, should his death be considered a mere accident? Is there a need for strict laws and strict action to stop the increasing incidents of mobile snatching?
An incident of mobile snatching in Bengaluru’s Cubbonpet area on June 16 ended in a very strange and tragic way. Here near Majestic, a robber snatched the phone and fell down while running and died on the spot. The incident took place at 14th Cross around 5:30 pm, involving two people riding a scooter. Advocate Basavaraju M., resident of Nagashettyhalli, was checking the location of an office on his phone. Then the accused allegedly snatched his phone and started running away. Basavaraju raised an alarm and ran after them.
His attempt to escape was foiled when a passerby threw a heavy sack on his scooter. Due to this, both of them lost their balance and fell down. During this time, the snatched phone also left his hand.
Scroll to load tweet…
Passerby’s intervention changed the matter
After this, both the accused left the scooter and ran for about 250 meters. One of them, 18-year-old Junaid, suddenly collapsed near a parked bike and died on the spot. His 23 year old companion Arbaaz was caught by the police. Junaid’s parents later told the authorities that he was a heart patient and had a stent placed in his coronary artery. The police also confirmed that this was Junaid’s first crime, while Arbaaz is a vicious mobile snatcher and car thief.
Based on Basavaraju’s complaint, a case has been registered under section 304 (extortion) of BNS. After Junaid’s death, the police have also registered a case of unnatural death at Ulsoor Gate station.