When 24-year-old Sandeep Gupta, a depot manager working at the Kalamboli office of a Singapore-based company, decided to drive his family’s auto-rickshaw on Sunday as the driver failed to show up, he hadn’t expected to return home as a proud Samaritan.

He chased down a knife-wielding chain snatcher, who had grabbed the gold chain of his 43-year-old woman commuter, and handed him over to the police after a scuffle.

Gupta, a Vikhroli resident, has been working since the past two years with Trans-Ocean Distribution Ltd, a Singapore-based company engaged in transportation of bulk liquids around the world. His family owns a couple of auto rickshaws which they give out on rent. However, whenever the hired drivers don’t turn up, Gupta drives one himself.

“On Sunday, one of the auto rickshaw drivers didn’t turn up and hence I took out the vehicle. A middle-aged lady boarded the rickshaw at Ghatkopar station to go to Vile Parle. When we were stuck in traffic at the LBS Road, a youth suddenly lunged into the rickshaw to snatch her chain and ran away. After the woman’s frantic cries, I began chasing him on foot,” said Gupta.

“I followed him down a lane where he suddenly turned around to face me, brandishing a small but sharp-looking knife. While he tried to attack me with it, I dodged and dealt him a blow. After a scuffle, some pedestrians also helped me overpower him and we took him to the police station. The woman, who later told me her name as Suhasini Ambekar, looked as if she had all hopes of getting her chain back and squealed with happiness when she saw me with it,” said Gupta.

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