Maid in the day, Ms Hyde after work: Delhi woman snatched for thrill

NEW DELHI: During the day, Reshma Praveen worked as a domestic help in Anand Vihar in east Delhi. After work, however, there was a sudden transformation in her. She covered her face with a scarf, rode pillion on her partner’s motorcycle and snatched gold chains and purses from women in the same locality. Later she returned home, with her family ignorant of the double life she was been leading for five months now.

Praveen’s run ended on Monday evening, when she was caught red-handed after a failed snatching attempt in GTB Enclave.Her partner, Guddu, was later nabbed by the cops too.
Atul Kumar Thakur, DCP (North-East), said that police were in the process of ascertaining the criminal past of both Praveen and Guddu. The cops found out that Praveen is the daughter of a contractor and hails from Vaishali district in Bihar. Five months ago, she had moved to the slums of Old Seemapuri with her family where she met Guddu, a resident of Karawal Nagar.
Praveen began working as a domestic maid in Anand Vihar and left home every morning for work. After finishing work, she would be picked up on his bike by Guddu. Their questioning revealed that Guddu had been involved in some incidents of snatching and theft in the past and shared his experiences with Praveen.
Apparently, he casually asked her one day if she wanted to attempt a snatch. She agreed, and later rode the motorcycle while committing the first of a series of crimes. The cops said that the thrill of the street crime made her frequently go out on such expeditions with Guddu.
The two would ride around bus stands, malls and the railway station and take whatever came their way. As her prowess increased, Praveen also started going out with Guddu’s friends on snatching rides. This facet of her life remained hidden to her family and to the house owners where she went for work.
On Monday, the woman signalled Guddu to take the bike close to a woman wearing a gold chain. They approached her from behind and Praveen grabbed the necklace, but Guddu lost his balance and the bike skidded, throwing both of them on the road, where they were confronted by a crowd. While Guddu managed to evade capture, Praveen was overpowered with a portion of the snatched chain still in her hands. She was taken into custody and is being questioned by the cops.