A new, standalone offence: theft is "snatching" when the offender suddenly, quickly, or forcibly seizes, secures, grabs or takes away movable property from a person or their possession, in order to commit theft.
- Punishable with imprisonment up to 3 years and a fine.
- Previously, snatching (common in phone and chain-snatching cases) had to be prosecuted under generic theft or robbery provisions — this gives it its own dedicated charge.
If your phone, bag or jewellery was grabbed off you suddenly on the street, this — not just generic theft — is the specific offence that fits.
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Theft
This is the basic theft offence; more specific, harsher provisions apply for theft in a dwelling house or theft by sudden force (snatching).
Robbery
If violence or a direct threat of it was used against you during a theft, that pushes the offence up into robbery, a significantly more serious charge.
This is a plain-English summary, not verbatim statutory text. Adhikar is an independent citizen-awareness platform, not a Government of India website. Always verify against the bare Act (legislative.gov.in) or a qualified advocate before relying on this for an actual legal situation.