Chandigarh, July 23: A 76-year-old cancer patient was robbed of his gold kara in a coordinated snatching incident near Nehru Gate, PGIMER, while he was boarding a bus to Baltana, Zirakpur. The theft occurred around 11:45 a.m., adding to a disturbing pattern of crimes targeting senior citizens near the city’s busiest hospital.
The victim, Paramjit Singh Chauhan, a retired warrant officer and resident of Punjab Modern Complex, Baltana, told police that he was trying to board the bus when a man deliberately blocked his path. At the same time, three unidentified women threw bags over his shoulders to create confusion.
“In the chaos, I didn’t feel a thing,” Chauhan said. “They cut my kara clean off with what must have been a sharp cutter. I only realised it was missing once I had settled inside the bus.”
The gold kara weighed approximately 29.3 grams. The culprits did not board the vehicle and vanished into the crowd immediately after the act. Due to his ongoing treatment and ill health, Chauhan was unable to report the matter immediately and filed a complaint on July 21 with the PGI Police Post.
Following his report, police registered a case under Sections 303(2), 126(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the unidentified man and three women. The case has now been forwarded to Sector 11 Police Station for further investigation.
“We are scanning CCTV footage from the area, including near Gol Market and PGI, to identify the suspects,” an investigating officer said.
This incident comes just a week after a 69-year-old woman from Panchkula was similarly targeted at the PGI bus stop. In that case, the woman’s gold bangles were either cut or forcefully yanked off by two women using a sharp-edged tool.
Her husband, Sewa Singh (71), said they were returning from Mohali and were about to board a CTU bus when his wife felt a sudden tug on her right hand. “She turned to find the bangle missing, and the woman behind her quickly disappeared into the crowd,” he said.
The repeated targeting of elderly patients and their companions near PGIMER has raised alarm among residents and commuters, many of whom rely on public transport for medical visits. Investigations are ongoing in both cases.
