New Delhi: The Delhi Police have arrested two chain snatchers, who targeted a jogger at Nehru Park in the Chanakyapuri area of the national capital on Saturday evening. The snatchers pulled out a pistol and threatened to shoot if the man didn't give away his gold chain. The two snapped the chain and tried to run towards the entry gate.
Little did they know that the man they targeted was none other than Vinod Badola, an "encounter specialist” in Delhi Police's Special Cell who was also skilled in the martial arts form Krav Maga.
Mr Badola chased the two snatchers and disarmed the one with the pistol after a violent exchange. The second accused, according to the FIR, was able to escape. Mr Badola then called 112 and informed the PCR. He continued searching for the second accused with the help of the local police. The criminal tried to escape by blending in with the crowd and sitting near a fountain. However, he was located and caught.
DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Mahla told The Times of India (TOI) that the two snatchers were identified as Gaurav and Pawan Dev Both have been charged under sections for robbery with intent to cause death. The police have collected CCTV footage from the area and increased patrolling around the spot.
Vinod Badola has led numerous high-profile missions. In October 2013, he and his team found gangster Nitu Dabodia and shot him in an encounter near a hotel in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj.
After that, Mr Badola participated in other counterterrorism operations, one of which earned him the Union Home Minister's Special Operations Medal.
Mr Badola and his team unearthed a new method used by a Taliban-backed group to smuggle narcotics in India. They discovered that gang members were travelling by land from Afghanistan via Iran before sailing to ports in western India. Approximately 330 kilos of heroin valued at ₹1,320 crore was found. At the time, this seizure was the biggest in Delhi Police's history.