New Delhi,  The Delhi Police have arrested a 30-year-old man for snatching a gold chain from a retired government teacher, an official said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Monu alias Badshah, is a habitual criminal and was previously involved in 35 cases of robbery, snatching, arms act, gambling, NDPS and theft.

Dy. Commissioner of Police (North-West District) Usha Rangnani said a PCR call was received at Bharat Nagar police station on Sunday around 2 p.m. wherein it was reported that one person snatched a gold chain (with pendant) from a woman and escaped.

The local police rushed to the spot, where the victim (61), a resident of Lajpat Nagar was present.

The victim stated that she was a retired government teacher and she had come to her brother's house in Bharat Nagar a few days ago. At around 11 a.m., she along with her brother was buying fruits from a vendor near Laxmi Bai College, Ashok Vihar. Suddenly, one person came from behind and snatched her gold chain with a Lord Ganesha pendant and fled from the spot.

"She was emotionally attached to her gold chain as it was gifted to her by her parents at her marriage 38 years ago," the official said.

The police registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and initiated an investigation.

A police team was constituted which examined the CCTV footage and analyzed all the exit routes of the culprit. After recording details given by the complainant, it was established that the accused person was seen running in a park after the incident.

Finally, the snatcher was identified as Monu alias Badshah, a bad character. It was found that Monu was recently released from jail.

"On June 6, a tip-off was received that he might visit a park in Ashok Vihar for getting smack. Accordingly, a raid was conducted and accused Monu was apprehended from a park in Ashok Vihar," the DCP said.

The police recovered the snatched gold chain from him.