40 cases of snatching with foreign tourists reported in last three years: Govt

Forty cases of snatching in which the victims were foreign tourists were registered by the Delhi Police in the last three years, Union Minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said today.

Till June 30 this year, six such cases were reported in the national capital, he told the Rajya Sabha.

In a reply to a question whether there had been a six-fold increase in incidents of snatching in Delhi in the last three years, Ahir said there was a decline of 3.28 and 14 per cent, respectively, in snatching cases registered in 2016 and 2017. This year saw a decline of 28.90 per cent in snatching cases as compared to the last year, he added.

In 2015, three cases of snatching in which the victims were foreign tourists were registered by the Delhi Police, whereas the number of such cases stood at 19 and 18, respectively, in 2016 and 2017, the minister of state for home.

Till June 30 this year, 2,182 persons were arrested and seven were convicted in snatching cases.

In 2015, 3,675 persons were arrested and 105 were convicted in such cases. In 2016, 5,092 persons were arrested and 46 were convicted, while in 2017, 5,454 persons were arrested and 44 faced conviction, Ahir said.