Snatching Under the BNS (Section 304): a New Offence (2026)
What snatching means under Section 304 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a brand-new offence with no exact IPC equivalent, the punishment, and how snatching used to be charged before. Last verified October 2026.
Explainer · Criminal Law · BNS
Snatching is now a distinct offence under Section 304 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), in force from 1 July 2024. This is new. The old Indian Penal Code (IPC) had no separate offence of snatching, so acts like chain or mobile snatching were charged as theft or robbery. Section 304 punishes snatching with imprisonment up to three years and a fine. This explainer sets out the ingredients, the punishment, and how snatching was treated before. Last verified October 2026.
- Provision: snatching, Section 304 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
- Old law: a new offence, with no exact IPC equivalent; snatching used to be charged as theft or robbery (in force from 1 July 2024).
- Covers: a sudden, quick, or forcible grabbing of movable property from a person, such as chain, phone, or bag snatching.
- Punishment: imprisonment up to 3 years and a fine.
- Status: cognizable, non-bailable, triable by any Magistrate (confirm from the BNSS First Schedule).
01What Section 304 of the BNS covers
Section 304(1) of the BNS says that theft is snatching if, in order to commit theft, the offender suddenly or quickly or forcibly seizes, secures, grabs, or takes away any movable property from a person, or from that person’s possession.
So snatching is a special kind of theft. The ingredients are:
- an act that is itself theft (a dishonest taking of movable property); and
- a sudden, quick, or forcible seizing, grabbing, or snatching of that property from a person or from their possession.
The everyday examples are chain snatching, phone or bag snatching in the street, and grabbing an item from a person’s hand and running. The quick, forcible taking is what separates snatching from ordinary theft.
Snatching is not the same as robbery
In robbery, the offender causes or tries to cause death, hurt, or wrongful restraint, or puts the victim in fear of it. Snatching does not need that. A fast grab, without more, can be snatching even where it would not be robbery.
02A new offence: how snatching used to be charged
There is no exact equivalent of Section 304 in the old IPC. The IPC did not name snatching as its own offence.
| Old law (IPC) | New law (BNS) | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| No specific section | Section 304 | Snatching (new offence) |
Before the BNS, a snatching incident was usually charged under the theft provisions (Sections 378 and 379 of the IPC) or, where force or fear was involved, as robbery under Sections 390 and 392. The BNS now gives snatching its own section, which recognises it as a common and distinct crime.
03Punishment and classification
Section 304(2) sets the punishment: whoever commits snatching shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to a fine.
On classification, snatching is a cognizable and non-bailable offence, and it is triable by any Magistrate. Cognizable means the police can register an FIR and investigate on their own. Because it is a new offence, the classification should be confirmed from the current BNSS First Schedule before you advise.
04What changed from the old law
The big change is that snatching is now a named offence in its own right.
- A dedicated section. Snatching used to be squeezed into the theft or robbery provisions. Section 304 gives it a clear definition and a clear punishment.
- Recognition of a common crime. Street snatching of chains, phones, and bags is a frequent complaint, and a dedicated offence makes charging and record-keeping simpler.
For the related property offences in the new code, see Section 303 on theft, Sections 309 and 310 on robbery and dacoity, and Section 308 on extortion.
05Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Because snatching is a new offence, there is not yet a deep body of judgments on Section 304, and courts will read it alongside the older theft and robbery case law. That makes research and tracking useful. With Claw you can search 30 crore+ judgments and orders by section, party, or advocate, with results in under 5 seconds, and track live cases across 9,102 courts, benches, and tribunals, with automatic updates, cause lists, and WhatsApp and email alerts. So you can watch how Section 304 is being read as new orders come in, while keeping sight of a live matter. See how case search works across Indian courts for more.
Claw does not file a case for you and does not replace legal advice. Claw does not use customer case documents to train AI models. There is a free plan for individual advocates. Create a FREE Claw account to search and track cases under this section by party or advocate name.
06Sources and further reading
- India Code (official text of central Acts): indiacode.nic.in
- Ministry of Home Affairs (the three new criminal laws): mha.gov.in
- Text of BNS Section 304: devgan.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This explainer is general information, not legal advice. The law changes through amendments and judgments, so check the current text of the section and the BNSS First Schedule, and take advice from counsel, before you act.
07Frequently asked questions
What is Section 304 of the BNS?
Section 304 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 makes snatching a distinct offence. Theft is snatching when the offender suddenly, quickly, or forcibly seizes or grabs movable property from a person or their possession, in order to commit theft. It came into force on 1 July 2024.
Which IPC section is now BNS Section 304?
There is no exact equivalent. The IPC had no separate offence of snatching, so it was charged as theft (Sections 378 and 379) or, where force or fear was involved, as robbery (Sections 390 and 392). Section 304 of the BNS is a new, standalone offence.
What is the punishment for snatching under BNS Section 304?
Imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and the offender is also liable to a fine.
What is the difference between snatching and robbery under the BNS?
Snatching (Section 304) is a sudden, quick, or forcible grabbing of property. Robbery (Section 309) requires that the offender causes or tries to cause death, hurt, or wrongful restraint, or puts the victim in fear of it. A fast grab, without that, can be snatching but not robbery.
Is snatching under BNS 304 bailable?
Snatching is a cognizable and non-bailable offence, triable by any Magistrate, going by the current classification. As it is a new offence, confirm the classification from the BNSS First Schedule in force on the date of the case.
Can I find snatching cases under BNS 304 in Claw?
Yes. Claw lets you search 30 crore+ judgments and orders by section, party, or advocate in under 5 seconds, and track live cases across 9,102 courts, benches, and tribunals. It does not file a case or give legal advice.