Bhagalpur: Bhagalpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ashish Bharati will recommend government school teacher Sarita Kumari's name for a police award during the Sonepur Mela for her exemplary courage in nabbing a thief and helping the police crack a road snatchers racket.

Sarita, a teacher at the Vishvavidyalaya Bal Niketan High School, was returning home after school on July 31 when two bike-borne criminals snatched her golden chain.

She however managed to catch one of them, holding his shirt collar tightly and making him fall off the bike while another criminal, who was riding the two-wheeler, fled with her chain.

She told the police that the golden chain cost over Rs 70,000. The incident happened near Marwari college. A cro-wd gathered on the spot and helped her hand over the criminal to the Vishwavidyalaya police.

The criminal was identified was as Mohammad Mubarak of Sahajangi locality. His associate, who managed to flee with the gold chain, was identified as Mohammad Asif, son of Sahajangi mukhiya (village head) Mohammad Manjur. The police also seized the motorcycle the two had used during theft.

Bharati told police that the snatchers were a menace for those living near the university, Urdu Bazar, Parvatti and Tatarpur. "The arrested youth, Mubarak, a motor cycle mechanic, confessed to his involvement in many road snatching incidents, including recent ones in which he had snatched cellphones and gold chains from two girl students and an assistant lady professor.

"An SIT has been constituted under the leadership of deputy superintendent of police, city, Rajvansh Singh to find out other members of the gang," the SSP said.

Singh said the police conducts raids to nab Ashif and others in the gang.

"Using his mukhiya father's clout, Ashif and his gang spread terror in the area," he said. According to Vishwavidyalaya police station Santosh Sharma, when Mubarak was handed over to the police, Ashif threatened Mubarak on his cellphone not to disclose his name to the police. "Thanks to Sarita Kumari for initiating efforts to nab the gang member who along with others created panic here. We were unable to walk freely on the roads carrying cellphones. We even avoided wearing chains while going out," said an inmate of the PG girls hostel of TMB University.