Ghatkopar residents Mohammad Husain Shiekh (43) was standing near the door and talking on the phone in a first-class coach of Karjat fast local at CSMT platform Number 6, suddenly someone snatched his phone. This is not the first case of this incident has happened, on an average daily around 23 cases of phone theft are being registered in the railway police in Mumbai, and out of these around 50 per cent of cases happened while passengers were busy checking messages or talking on the phone or listening music or enjoying movies on their phones.
"Not only from the doors but sometimes offenders target passengers sitting on the first row," said an officer of GRP who investigated dozens of phone theft cases in the suburban section of MMR.
"People are so busy listening to the music or talking on the phone or checking messages on the platforms as well as in trains, even some times while walking on foot over bridges too" further added officials adding that we are trying our best but same time passengers need to understand that suburban rail network of the MMR is fully open. No control over exist and entry like metro systems.
As per GRP data in the months of May 2022 more than 450 cases of phone theft were registered in the suburban section of the MMR off this 50 per cent theft happened when victims were busy on phone.
Asked about the Modus operandi of the theft official said, "In most of the cases accused targets those passengers who are busy talking on phones or in other activity, or those passengers who are seems in hurry."
"Accused first observed the passengers few minutes after that they attack suddenly and ran away with the phone before passenger react" added officials.
Though apart from RPF and GRP, electronic surveillance also increased at the stations, and as a result, the number of detection rates went up, besides of that passengers need to care specially while travelling on foot board ( near the door) on the local trains or standing on the platforms.
