Wedding chain stolen, Kerala engineer does heroic chase to win it back
A masked man attacked a woman with a screwdriver, stole her gold chain, and fled on a motorcycle. The woman pursued him, dragging her metres before he crashed and was apprehended by locals.
A masked man attacked a woman with a screwdriver, stole her gold chain, and fled on a motorcycle. The woman pursued him, dragging her metres before he crashed and was apprehended by locals.
A masked man attacked a woman with a screwdriver, stole her gold chain, and fled on a motorcycle. The woman pursued him, dragging her metres before he crashed and was apprehended by locals.
A well-built, masked man walked into a building at Kappil in Krishnapuram, Alappuzha, asked a few questions and suddenly swung a screwdriver at a woman's neck on Tuesday. She managed to grab the weapon, but the man snatched her gold chain and fled.
What followed was even more dramatic. The 47-year-old civil engineer, Rejani Kishore, chased him, grabbed the backrest of his motorcycle and held on as he sped away. She was dragged for around three metres before the robber lost control of the bike and crashed into a parked car. Locals then caught and detained him.
The incident happened around 2.30 pm when Rejani had just returned from lunch and was switching on the computer at RR Building Designers, the firm she runs with her husband, Ram Kishore. “The truth is, I didn’t get time to panic. My mind was only on losing the two-sovereign gold chain when the gold rate is so high - and that too, my wedding chain. I just needed it back,” Rejani said, still recovering from her injuries.
Rejani and Ram Kishore have been running the firm for around 15 years. Their office is in a building opposite the Krishnapuram panchayat office, where Ram Kishore is currently a ward member.
The couple had attended a ceremonial lunch at a nearby temple in Ochira on Tuesday noon. Ram Kishore dropped her off at the office before returning to the temple. Soon after, he received a call from his aunt, who had witnessed the incident through a video call with Rejani. “I had kept the phone standing on the computer and was talking to her when an unfamiliar man walked into the office. He was well-built and wearing pants and a shirt, along with a black mask. I felt a little suspicious initially,” Rejani recalled.
The man first asked about the firm's charges for drawing building plans. “When I started asking him about the details, he began giving confusing answers, and I became more suspicious. But within no time, he took out a screwdriver from his jeans pocket and swung it at my neck,” she said. Rejani managed to grab the screwdriver. The attacker then snatched her chain. “The clasp came loose, and the pendant and thali attached to it fell to the floor. He ran out and tried to escape on his bike with the chain still in his hand,” she said.
Rejani followed him outside and grabbed the bike's backrest. “I got dragged for around three metres. However, he lost his balance and crashed into a parked car before falling onto the road. By then, local people had arrived and detained the thief,” she said.
Ram Kishore reached the spot within minutes. “I used to be with her at the office all the time. But after I became a panchayat member, she started managing the business largely on her own. I was relaxed because I was nearby. But in a fraction of a minute, things took a completely different turn,” he said. Rejani suffered minor injuries to her shoulder and back, while her skin was torn when she was dragged along the road.
The couple later learnt that the accused had allegedly visited a spare-parts shop next to their office before approaching Rejani. He reportedly pretended to be looking for engine oil and spoke to a saleswoman there.
“He spoke to the salesgirl, but she was wearing a fancy chain, not gold jewellery. So he apparently skipped that plan and came to me,” Rejani said.
She believes the accused noticed the signboard outside their office and understood the nature of their business before approaching her. The relatively quiet afternoon may also have encouraged him, she said. “Now when I think about it, I can’t actually process what happened. I have never learnt martial arts or anything like that. It was pure sadness at the thought of losing our hard-earned money. I couldn’t stop myself from going after him,” she said.
The couple's daughter, Aiswarya Kishore, is pursuing BTech in Thrissur and was worried after learning about the incident.
The Kayamkulam police have booked the accused, identified as Nelson, a native of Bharanikkavu, under Section 309(6) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with causing hurt while committing or attempting to commit robbery. He is currently in police custody. “An investigation has been started, and evidence collection is underway. Further interrogation will reveal whether he is a habitual offender,” a Kayamkulam police officer said.