New modus operandi of thieves in ladies compartments: Asking a seated passenger to hand over bags from the overhead rack; by the time the owner realises the folly, the bag and the thief are far away

If you make your way home from work on the local trains running after 8 pm, then stay alert, and exercise caution: the handbag thief may be lurking nearby, waiting for an opportune moment to grab your precious belongings and jump off the train, leaving you, quite literally, in the lurch.

On July 11, Rupa Tripathi (37) boarded a Virar bound fast train from Mumbai Central station at 8:45 pm. She took her seat in the first class compartment, stationing her coffee-coloured handbag on the overhead metal rack.

At Mira Road station, a young woman in a green salwar kameez, aged between 22 and 23 years, boarded the train.

Pass the bag, please: As the station approaches, a woman hanging at the door gestures to the seated passenger requesting to pass the bag kept on the luggage rack

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