Youth steals six phones from train, caught by RPF in Kerala

Express News Service KOCHI: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has nabbed a 26-year-old who stole six mobile phones from passengers of a single compartment during his short trip from Ernakulam North to Aluva railway station.Around 4am on Wednesday, RPF assistant sub-inspector K S Manikandan and constable Aji P noticed a person roaming around suspiciously on the second platform of the Aluva station. After monitoring him for a while, they intercepted the person.

Upon enquiry, the person told them that he is Shahid Jamal, a native of Mau in Uttar Pradesh. RPF officials also found that Shahid was possessing several mobile phones. Following a detailed interrogation, he admitted that those were stolen phones.

"He had boarded Aronai Express from the Ernakulam north railway station and got into the unreserved compartment at the rear end of the train. During his half-hour-long journey from the Ernakulam North station to Aluva, he managed to steal six mobile phones, mainly from migrant workers. There was a heavy rush in the train as migrant workers were returning to their native places for celebrating Ramadan," a police officer said.

RPF officials recorded the arrest of the accused under the RPF Act and handed him over to the Railway Police at the Ernakulam South police station. "We are trying to trace the owners of the mobile phones who might be travelling on the train now. The details of the accused are also being checked. We suspect that he was involved in numerous theft cases earlier.

We will seek the custody of the accused for detailed interrogation," a police officer said.