On the same day that 49-year-old Priyanka Khadke, a clerk at the ration office in Santacruz, fell off the train on Mahim station’s Platform No. 2 while trying to stop the thief who snatched her mobile phone, there were as many as 27 cases of phone thefts registered across Mumbai’s suburban rail network by the GRP.
According to GRP data, 85 phone theft cases were registered from April 11 to April 13 on the Mumbai suburban rail network. While 27 cases were reported on April 11, the following day, it was 23 and 35 on the day after.
Sources said since the easing of pandemic restrictions, trains have become crowded and crimes too are on the rise. GRP officials said they had already increased patrolling at stations. “We have increased patrolling and our teams are on high alert,” a GRP official said.
Addressing the issue of rising phone thefts, he said, “The entire suburban network is open; there is no proper control at the entry and exit points. Most of these offenders enter stations via tracks and target passengers. Apart from that, offenders also target commuters whose phones are in their hands or are busy talking on them.”
Meanwhile, Khadke’s husband, Balmukund, said that it was most unfortunate that a hardworking woman like her had to suffer in this manner for no fault of hers. “We live in Badlapur and my wife travels to work every day to Santacruz. She changes trains at Dadar,” said Balmukund, who also works with the state rationing department. “We are praying that she recovers,” he said.
