MP Sudha writes to Amit Shah after gold chain snatched in high-priority zone in Delhi

Mayiladuthurai MP R Sudha, whose gold chain was snatched by a miscreant while she was on a morning walk in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area on Monday (August 4), in a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, has questioned how such a crime could occur in a high-security zone.

Stating that she sustained injuries in the attack and was left “highly traumatised”, Sudha urged Shah to take steps to catch the culprit and recover her jewellery.

The Congress parliamentarian from Tamil Nadu, who also filed a police complaint, in her letter said that she was accompanied by fellow MP from the state, Rajathi, near the Polish Embassy in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri, where the incident happened. She claimed that the attack also left her with neck injuries and that her dress got partially torn.

'Man wearing full helmet' attacked

“At around 6.15 am-6.20 am, when we were near the Poland Embassy's Gate-3 and Gate-4, a man wearing a full helmet and thereby covering his face entirely and riding a scooty approached us from the opposite direction and snatched my gold chain and fled,” Sudha, who is currently in the capital to attend the Parliament’s ongoing Monsoon Session, said in the letter.

Also read: TMC pans Delhi Police for calling Bengali ‘Bangladeshi language’

“Sir, since he was coming slowly in the opposite direction, I did not suspect he could be a chain snatcher. As he pulled the chain from my neck, I have suffered injuries on my neck, and my churidar also got torn in the impact. Somehow managed not to fall, and both of us cried for help,” the MP added. She said they spotted a mobile patrol vehicle of the Delhi Police and told them about the incident.

'Blatant attack'

Sudha called it a “blatant attack” on a woman, that too an MP, in a high-security zone like Chanakyapuri, which is home to highly guarded diplomatic establishments of various countries and official residences of state governments.

“If a woman cannot walk safely in this high-priority zone in the national capital of India, where else can we feel safe and do our routine without fearing for our limbs, lives, and valuables?" she said, referring to Chanakyapuri, which houses several embassies and official residences of state governments.

Also read: INDIA bloc leaders blast Bihar SIR at JNU: 'Indian democracy at stake'

“Sir, I have suffered injury on my neck, lost my gold chain weighing more than 4 sovereigns, and I am highly traumatised by this criminal attack,” Sudha, who is staying at the Tamil Nadu Bhavan nearby, said.

The first-time MP requested the home minister to catch the culprit, recover her jewellery item and give her justice “expeditiously”.

Shah chaired a high-profile meeting to review Delhi's law and order situation in February this year where the state's newly elected BJP Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, and other top officials were also present.

Investigation underway

Senior police sources said a case has been registered and an investigation was underway. Several police teams had also been deployed to track the accused and CCTV footage from the vicinity was being examined.

Also read: Annamalai vs non-Annamalai camps in TN BJP? Party spokesperson breaks silence

Police officers were also speaking to eyewitnesses and checking any suspicious movements reported in the area at the time of the incident. Security around Tamil Nadu Bhavan and nearby areas has also been tightened, the officials added.

(With inputs from agencies)