Six cases reported in Kurla, of thieves with blades on them, hidden in mouths, chappals and pant pockets, which they used as a tool to escape when the fear of getting caught loomed
The busy Kurla station has been a cause for concern for the railway police since the last three months. Reason: six cases were reported of thieves with blades on them, hidden in mouths, chappals and pant pockets, which they used as a tool to escape when the fear of getting caught loomed.
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Heavy vigilance and monitoring via CCTVs started after a recent attack on an RPF officer, who got slashed while chasing a thief who had snatched a commuter’s cellphone.
What the cops say
Senior Inspector of Kurla RPF Suresh Atri said, “We have been briefing the staff at regular intervals about such thieves. They are loaded with blades and attack to resist. Since I have taken charge, there have been six to seven cases involving them. We catch them and hand them over to the GRP. There has been a constant watch on such anti-social elements, particularly on the Govandi-Kurla-Chunabhatti and Reay Road rail route. There have been incidents at other stations as well, but a lot of times the victims don’t come forward to complain.”
Modus operandi
Investigators revealed that these men can hide multiple blades in their mouths without hurting themselves.
“They don’t remove them while spitting or chewing. They are use cavities in the mouth —below the tongue, below the lower lip and left and right sides of their jaws. One blade is broken into two parts. They use tongue movements to remove the blades when needed and then hide it in between two fingers before attacking,” said an investigator.
Read Story: Mumbai: Pickpocket threatened victims with blade hidden in mouth
A railway police officer said, “These men wear the velcro sandals as they can hide several blades between the loops. They also keep them in their shirt and pant pockets.”
According to the police, more than their arrest, keeping them behind bars is a tough task. All are drug addicts, and without their intoxication, they go violent inside the lock-up. They scream and shout and make life miserable for the staff at the police station. Many also try to harm themselves by banging themselves against the wall or iron bars.