CHANDIGARH, July 16 — A 69-year-old woman lost her gold bangles to two female snatchers at the busy PGIMER bus stop on Tuesday afternoon. While one of the suspects fled, the other was caught by alert commuters and handed over to the police.
According to the complaint filed by Sewa Singh, 71, a retired employee of the Kurukshetra Cooperative Bank and resident of Sector 28, Panchkula, he and his wife Omidevi were returning home from a visit to a village in Mohali. The couple had alighted at the PGIMER bus stop to change buses when the incident occurred.
“As I boarded the CTU bus to Panchkula first, I noticed my wife was stuck in the crowd. I stepped back out and saw a woman arguing with her,” Singh said. “My wife told me she had felt a sudden tug on her right hand. When she turned around, the woman behind her had already taken her gold bangle.”
Singh said his wife suspected the woman had either yanked the bangle off or used a sharp object to cut it. As the couple confronted the woman, they realized a second bangle—this one from Omidevi’s left wrist—was also missing. Just then, a voice shouted from the crowd: “Nashibo, bhag (run)!”
One of the accused, later identified as 40-year-old Nashibo from Malout, attempted to flee but was restrained by fellow passengers. She was subsequently turned over to local police.
Police officials said Nashibo and her accomplice, who managed to escape, are believed to be part of a gang of female pickpockets that target passengers at crowded transport hubs.
“We suspect these women operate in pairs or groups, especially around bus stops where commuters are vulnerable in the rush,” an investigating officer said, adding that further investigation is underway to trace the second suspect and identify any broader network.
A case has been registered, and police are reviewing CCTV footage from the area to aid the investigation.
