Bengaluru: A brazen mobile phone snatching in the heart of the city took a dramatic turn when one of the accused collapsed and died shortly after fleeing the scene, while his accomplice was taken into police custody.The incident occurred on 14th Cross in Cubbonpete, near Majestic, around 5.30pm on June 16. Advocate Basavaraju M, a resident of Nagashettihalli, was checking the location of an office on his phone to deliver a file. Two people on a scooter allegedly followed him, snatched his mobile phone and tried to flee. He ran behind the scooter and raised the alarm.However, their escape was cut short by a quick-thinking pedestrian who hurled a heavy sack towards the scooter. The sack struck the two-wheeler, causing the riders to lose balance and fall onto the road. While escaping, the snatched phone slipped from their possession.The suspects left the scooter and managed to run for around 250 metres. One of the accused, Junaid, 18, collapsed next to a bike parked on the roadside and died on the spot. His associate Arbaz, 23, was arrested. Junaid’s parents told police that he was a cardiac patient and he had a stent in his coronary artery.Based on Basavaraju’s complaint, a case was registered under BNS Section 304 (snatching). Following Junaid’s death, a case of unnatural death was registered at Ulsoor Gate police station. Junaid was a first-time offender, while Arbaz is a habitual mobile snatcher and vehicle lifter.
