4 Aug 2025 : Parliament member R Sudha was injured when a masked man snatched her chain as she was walking with another lawmaker on Monday morning near the Polish embassy on New Delhi’s high-security Shantipath in the capital’s diplomatic enclave Chanakyapuri.
Sudha said she suffered injuries on her neck, and her trousers were also torn. “I somehow managed not to fall, and both of us cried for help,” added Sudha, a member of the Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu.
The Congress leader said the incident traumatised her, and questioned how safe women are in the capital.
If women cannot walk safely in a high-priority zone in the national capital, where else can they feel safe and do their routine without fearing for their limbs, lives, and valuables, she asked.
“In a high-security zone like Chanakyapuri, which is full of embassies and protected institutions, [it] is highly shocking to say the least,” she said in her police complaint.
The Opposition lawmaker said around 6.15-6.20 am, the man wearing a full helmet and covering his face on a scooter approached them from the opposite direction, snatched her gold chain and fled.
Sudha, who represents Tamil Nadu’s Mayiladuthurai in the Lok Sabha, said the incident happened near the Polish Embassy’s Gate-3 and Gate-4. She added that the man came slowly in the opposite direction, and she did not suspect he could be a chain-snatcher.
She said she complained to a mobile Delhi Police patrol. “We were advised to give a complaint in writing and approach the jurisdictional police station.” Sudha said she is in Delhi to attend the parliament’s monsoon session and is staying at the Tamil Nadu Bhawan because her official accommodation is not ready.
A police officer said that they have received the complaint. “We are registering the FIR [First Information Report]…Teams are working to nab the suspect,” the officer said.
Summary:
Congress MP R. Sudha was injured when her gold chain was snatched during a morning walk in Chanakyapuri’s high-security diplomatic zone. Authorities registered an FIR and are investigating.