Fleeing phone snatcher Junaid dies after dramatic chase in Cubbonpete

An 18-year-old mobile phone snatcher collapsed and died on June 16 following a dramatic chase in the Cubbonpete area, near Majestic in Bengaluru. The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. on 14th Cross when two suspects on a scooter snatched a mobile phone from a pedestrian and attempted to flee.

The victim of the theft was identified as Advocate Basavaraju M, a resident of Nagashettihalli. At the time of the incident, Basavaraju was holding his phone to check the location of an office where he was planning to deliver a file. Two individuals riding a scooter allegedly followed him, snatched his mobile phone, and tried to speed away from the scene. Basavaraju immediately ran behind the two-wheeler while raising an alarm to alert nearby citizens.

The fleeing suspects were stopped when a quick-thinking pedestrian on the street intervened. The pedestrian hurled a heavy sack towards the moving scooter. The sack struck the vehicle, causing the riders to lose their balance and fall onto the road. During the crash, the snatched mobile phone slipped from their possession.

Abandoning their scooter on the road, the two suspects attempted to escape on foot. They managed to run for approximately 250 metres before one of them, identified as Junaid, collapsed. Junaid fell next to a parked motorcycle on the roadside and died on the spot.

His associate, 23-year-old Arbaz, was caught and taken into police custody. Following the death, Junaid's parents informed the police that the teenager was a cardiac patient and had a stent in his coronary artery.

According to the police, Junaid was a first-time offender, whereas Arbaz is a habitual mobile snatcher and vehicle lifter.

Based on the complaint filed by Basavaraju, a case was registered under Section 304 (snatching) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Following the death of the 18-year-old suspect, the Ulsoor Gate police station also registered a case of unnatural death.