Autorickshaw driver Chunnu Sao. Picture by Sachin

An autorickshaw driver displayed exemplary courage on Thursday by chasing and catching a criminal who had snatched the gold chain of one of his passengers.

Autorickshaw drivers in the city are notorious for their bad behaviour but 37-year-old Chunnu Sao’s bravery would help improve the reputation.

Sao, who lives in the Dwindi Bazaar area of Patna City, plies his vehicle from the Chowk area to Patna Junction, a distance of around 14km. He is new to the profession, having been a driver for cars before.

“Around eight to nine persons can travel in my auto. Around 12noon today (Thursday), I started from the Chowk area with seven passengers. Two of them were women — later identified as Dipika, 32, owner of the gold chain, and a relative. They said they wanted to go to Rajendra Nagar and were sitting in the middle seat. Two male passengers were sitting on either side of the women. Another man was sitting behind them. He said he wanted to go to the Nayi Sadak area,” said Sao.

Two other passengers — both men — were sitting beside the driver.

As the auto neared the Tirkoniya Mor, it got stuck in a traffic snarl. “There is always a snarl near the Tirkoniya Mor. Like other vehicles, my auto was literally crawling. Suddenly, the man at the back of the vehicle snatched the gold chain of one of the women and jumped off the vehicle,” said Sao.

The women raised an alarm. Sao immediately stopped his autorickshaw and gave chase.

He said later: “The snatcher ran towards the east where there are railway tracks. I know the area very well. I’m acquainted with many people who live in the area. While chasing the man, I started to shout and call out to people to catch the man.”

The chase continued for 10 minutes after which the man was caught.

“By then the residents of the area had also arrived. They started to beat him up. He said he had dropped the gold chain during the chase but we made him search for it. By then, the owner of the chain had called her brother and he had also arrived. The accused was finally taken to the Chowk police station,” said Sao.

Police said the accused — whose identity has not yet been revealed — has been admitted to a hospital.

“He was beaten up. But his condition is not critical,” said an officer at Chowk police station, adding that a case has been lodged.

The officer said: “The driver displayed courage to catch the snatcher.”

Dipika, the victim, and her family have also praised Sao’s courage. Her brother Rocky said: “The chain is worth Rs 1.5 lakh. Had it not been for the driver, we would have lost it. We would like to thank him for his help.” The family lives in the Chutkiya Bazaar area under the jurisdiction of Chowk police station.