Mangaluru : A video of a group of men arriving in a car and one of them attempting to snatch a bag from a woman near St Agnes College in Mangaluru went viral.

The city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar clarified that it was a mock drill that was held to assess the preparedness of police and the public.

The incident that took place in front of the St Agnes College at Upper Bendorewell on September 12, Sunday morning, unidentified miscreants who came by a Ritz car sans number plate, made a vain bid to snatch the handbag of a woman who was walking on the roadside.

Two people on two-wheelers try to chase the vehicle that does not have a number plate. They collect details like vehicle model, number of people in it, their features, and inform the police. The police were able to stop the vehicle near the checkpost. Meanwhile, within 3-4 minutes, the department received a call on the 112 Emergency Response Support System, and at 11.08 am, the 112 vehicle reached the spot, and within 15 minutes the inspector and staff also reach the spot, and collected details and informed senior officers. All the checkposts were alerted,” he said.

Shashi Kumar clarified that the police department staff too were not aware of this exercise. Stressing on women’s safety and crime control, he said that he will hold an interactive session before finalising a roadmap for women’s safety in the city.