Phone owner held on to device and overpowered thief with help of another commuter at Kurla railway station, he ran away but RPF managed to catch him using his Aadhar card that fell off during scuffle
Namdeo Kadam has confessed to the crime
Thieves may devise many new ways of stealing, but Mumbaikars too have become adept at foiling their attempts to do so. The Kurla RPF on Wednesday arrested a person, who tried to steal a commuter's mobile phone and enter a train, just as it was leaving. The alert mobile owner and another commuter had managed to grab him.
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The incident took place yesterday at 12:10 am on Kurla platform number 1 when a Karjat down local arrived. According to RPF Inspector Suresh Atri, as the train started moving from Kurla, a person standing at the door of a coach rushed out and snatched a mobile from a commuter sitting on a bench on the platform.
When the passenger resisted by holding on to the phone, he dragged him towards the running train. The phone owner, Gaurav Bhupesh Manjrekar, and another person managed to overpower the thief.
Documents fall
During the scuffle, the offender managed to run away. But his Aadhaar Card and other documents had fallen on the platform, and were given to RPF Kurla.
On the same day, a team was formed to trace the offender at Currey Road, his address that was found from his documents. But it was learnt that he had changed his address. The documents of the offender revealed a paper of LPG supply.
The RPF traced his address to Bhandup, where it was learnt that he had gone to his work place at Le Mill, Gateway, CSTM.
The police contacted him on his mobile and on the pretext of returning his belongings which had fallen on the platform, called him to CST where RPF officials nabbed him at around 1 pm and brought him to Kurla. He was identified as Namdeo Kadam.
The passenger whose phone he had tried to steal was also called to Kurla, where he identified the accused, and gave a complaint for action against him.
Says he was drunk
RPF Inspector Atri said, "The accused has confessed to his crime and hence we registered a case against him under Sections 153 (for endangering safety of person on Railway by unlawful act), 145 (nuisance) and 147 (misuse of Railway) of the Railway Act."
Police said while he has confessed, he has also said he was drunk at the time of the offence and didn't intend to steal the phone.
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