Bhatkal: In a shocking daylight incident, unidentified snatchers fled after forcibly stealing a gold chain from an elderly woman in the Belke Girdihitlu area of Bhatkal taluk. The incident occurred around 1.30 pm on Saturday.
The victim, 70-year-old Honnamma Madev Naik, stated that she was standing outside her house located along the roadside when two unidentified persons arrived on a motorcycle. They initially claimed to have come to deliver a courier, mentioning a person’s name. When the woman informed them that no such person lived there, the accused introduced themselves as local residents and courier staff and asked for drinking water.
As the woman brought water from inside the house, the person seated in the front drank it and asked her to bring more. When she turned back to fetch water again, the pillion rider suddenly grabbed the gold chain from her neck and forcefully pulled it off. The accused then sped away on the motorcycle.
On hearing the woman’s screams, local residents rushed to the spot. Two youths also attempted to chase the snatchers on a motorcycle, but the accused managed to escape at high speed, crossing the Shirur toll gate and disappearing from sight.
Following information about the incident, Bhatkal DySP Mahesh, Rural Police Inspector Manjunath Lingareddy, along with other police personnel, rushed to the spot and gathered details from local residents. Police have launched an investigation to identify and arrest the accused, and a case has been registered at the Rural Police Station in this connection.