This is the brutal moment a woman is nearly dragged under the wheels of a moving car as thieves stage a drive-by snatch to get her gold necklace.

CCTV footage of the attack, filmed n the Peelamedu area of the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, in southern India, on Monday, 15th May, at around 6:30am, shows the woman on a morning walk as the white car rushes up behind her.

Then, as it passes, a thug leans out of the front passenger window and grabs at the jewellery.

The grab slams the woman into the car and she slides down the side onto the road.

As the footage carries on, the car’s rear wheels miss her head by a few inches.

The woman then staggers to her feet as the footage ends.

Police later named the victim of the attack as R. Kausalya.

Inspector M. Meenambigai told local media: “The car did not have any number plates.

“It appears to be a taxi cab as there was a yellow reflector sticker on the side as per the surveillance camera visual.

“Efforts are being made to trace the offenders.”

Local media reported that drive-by thefts are usually carried out by crooks on motorbikes and that it is highly unusual for one to be committed from a car.

The investigation is ongoing.