CHENNAI: A 68-year-old man died after he tried to catch a man who snatched his bag, a few metres from the city police Commissioner’s office on Friday night.Initially, the Anna Square traffic investigation police registered an accident case against the victim, identified as M Rangarajan, a native of Tiruchy. “Rangarajan was riding a two-wheeler without a helmet and did not notice the speed breaker installed in front of the Commissioner’s office while chasing the snatcher. He lost control of the vehicle and fell down. Since, he was not wearing a helmet, he sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot,” said a police source.
An investigation revealed that Rangarajan’s bag was snatched by a person and while trying to chase the suspect he fell off the bike and died. The victim had come to the city on Friday morning by train.
“He would usually purchase gold bars from Sowcarpet and take them to Tiruchy to make ornaments and deliver them back to the shops in Chennai. On Friday, he had come to Chennai to collect the gold bars from Sowcarpet. While returning to Tiruchy, he was driving a two-wheeler to reach Egmore. He was to have handed over the bike to a person waiting at the station. As he was nearing his destination, an unidentified man snatched his bag and escaped,”said the officer. Rangarajan chased him on his bike, but failed to notice the speed breaker and fell over it.
Police posted at the Commissioner’s office rescued him and rushed him to a private hospital where they declared him ‘brought dead’. His body was later moved to the government hospital for autopsy.
Police have launched a search for the suspect. They have also collected CCTV camera footage from the nearby buildings to trace the suspect. Police said Rangarajan is survived by his wife and son.
This is not the first crime being reported near the Commissioner’s office. In March, a tea stall owner Tamil Selvan, was robbed at knife-point by a duo. However, they were nabbed by policemen who were on patrol duty.
In August last year, a three-member gang took away a motorbike from an MTC bus driver on EVR Periyar Salai (Poonamallee High Road), near the police commissioner’s office. The victim Krishnamoorthy, was on his way to work, when a gang escaped with his bike in a case of attention diversion.
In November 2016, a 17-year-old boy along with two friends snatched a handbag from a woman on the same street. A police constable who was on his way to work caught the boy after a brief chase.