Police felicitate woman who foiled chain-snatching bid

On January 13 last year, 42-year-old Nandini Pillay would have become yet another victim of chain-snatching. But she reacted with lightning speed to grab her motorcycle-borne attacker by the shirt before he could flee with an accomplice.

With the help of her son Kunal and passersby, she took the attacker to Byculla Police Station. Hours later, the accomplice was also arrested.

Wednesday afternoon, Pillay was honoured with a letter of appreciation by Mumbai Police at an interface with women at Ravindra Natyamandir in Prabhadevi.

Pillay works at private firm Alfa Tools in Fort and lives with her husband Shekhar and son in Bhandup.

In January, she had gone to Railway Hospital in Byculla with her son. At 8.30 am, just as they were entering the hospital, two men on a motorcycle paused behind them. The pillion rider tried to push Pillay and snatch her necklace.

"The pillion rider grabbed at my chain and pushed me. But I caught hold of his shirt and pulled him down as he was getting away. Both of us fell to the ground and my son and I overpowered him. The other man fled," she said.

Over the next few months, Pillay identified the thieves and made four court appearances. "It was troublesome to go to court but my office was understanding and allowed me offs," she said.

Pillay was not expecting the public felicitation by police commissioner Satyapal Singh and Maharashtra women and child welfare minister Varsha Gaikwad.

"I had taken sick leave yesterday when I got a call from Byculla police station senior inspector Lakhanlal Mathure inviting me. It was all very unexpected," she said. Gaikwad was full of praise for Pillay. "With her presence of mind, she has set an example for all women," she said.

ALSO READ

Campus placements: IIT Bombay targets 100 companies in phase-II

‘Babasaheb Ambedkar a prisoner of caste politics, his relevance will grow’: Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh president Prakash Ambedkar

From anger to anguish

We deal with birth and death daily, but some deaths leave a void, say doctors