Call it being in the right place at right time. A Velacheri policeman is being appreciated for his alertness and quick thinking.
A CCTV footage circulated among residents of Velacheri had the visuals of a woman running behind a two-wheeler at Gandhi Road. Seeing this, a constable on patrolling duty starts chasing the bike.
The incident took place a few days ago when the victim Sravya, a resident of OMR, was pillion riding with her male friend at Gandhi Road.
When their vehicle neared a super market, two men on a bike coming from the opposite direction snatched her hand bag and fled. Luckily, constable Ramakrishnan who was on patrolling duty at the time chased them.
He went after them till Taramani, and the men, fearing there was no way out, dropped the bag and fled the scene. It was immediately handed over to Sravya, a techie, who had valuables in the bag, including a mobile phone worth Rs 70,000.
Talking about this incident, Sub-Inspector Tamil Selvi says, “The whole incident took place over 15 to 20 minutes. As soon as I got the information, I alerted the neighbouring stations. The CCTV visuals helped us get the vehicle number in a matter of minutes. We are conducting inquires to nab the accused.”
Recently, Velacheri police had held a meeting with residents urging them to install CCTVs in their area. Stressing on the need for CCTV facility, a police officer said, “Even in this case, the only evidence we have is the footage. These days, nobody is willing to give an eye-witness account or confirm a piece of information. So instead, we rely on the videos.”