The courageous woman held on to the collar of one of the two bike-borne thieves, bringing him to the ground; the rider also lost his balance and fell down
An alert 38-year-old woman stopped two chain snatchers from fleeing with her jewellery after they tried to yank it off her neck while she was on her way home.
Braveheart: Margaret Bruno D’souza holds up one of the two chains the snatcher tried to grab from around her neck. Pic/Nimesh Dave
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The courageous woman, identified as Margaret Bruno D’souza, held one of the two thieves riding pillion on a bike by his collar and pulled him off the two-wheeler, following which the police arrested both of them.
According to the police, the incident occurred on Sunday morning at 9.30 am when Margaret and her sister Florence were on their way home to Vile Parle from Mahim Church.
“When the chain snatcher was about to grope the two chains that Margaret was wearing, she held the accused by his collar and pulled him off the bike. The duo lost control of the bike and both of them fell down, Soon after, a crowd gathered around them and started hitting the duo,” said sub-inspector Ravindra Kalamkar of Mahim police station.
The two thieves were identified as Shahbaaz Isak Shaikh and Arif Abdul Sattar Shaikh. Cops also recovered a chain and the bike from the two.
Speaking to MiD DAY, Margaret, the braveheart, said, “Novena is going on at Mahim Church and I had gone to attend the service with my sister. After the service, my sister and I were on our way to catch a bus from LJ Road when these two men suddenly came up and tried to grab the two chains around my neck.”
“I guess, it was good reflexes that helped me grab one of the thieves by his collar and bring him down to the ground. The other, too, lost balance and fell. The one whom I pulled to the ground started running but my sister ran after him and caught him, while I held on to the other thief,” added Margaret, who sustained small bruises on her hand and neck.
Asked if she wasn’t afraid for her life, Margaret said, “I request each and every girl in this country not to be scared. Just shout out for help when required, and someone will surely come to help.”
About the arrests, Kalamkar said, “A team was patrolling the area. When the cops reached the spot, they saw that a huge crowd had gathered to hit two people. After initial inquiries, they arrested the accused.”
The two have been booked under sections 392 (robbery), 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance) of the Indian Penal Code and will be produced in Bandra Court today.u00a0
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