Mobile thieves now active between Andheri & Malad

The stretch between Andheri to Malad on Western Railway has become a new hub for thieves, who steal phones by hitting victims, standing on the footboard of local trains, on the wrist. At around 10 pm on Tuesday, Goregaon station witnessed drama after a woman complained that she had been the victim of one such thieving attempt.

"This stretch saw has seen 20 complaints of mobile theft every month, which has dropped to about 6-7 a month. This could be either due to intense patrolling on this stretch or because barricades have been removed on some stretches due to completion of work," said an RPF officer.

Ongoing construction work on the stretch to extend the Harbour corridor from Andheri to Goregaon has seen the erection of metal barricades, which works to the advantage of thieves, senior Railway Protection Force officers told DNA. The stretch has several gaps in the boundary wall, which allows thieves to escape in the cover of darkness, said officers.

RPF officers told DNA that these thieves strike between 9 pm to 11 pm, and getting RPF personnel to patrol the tracks there is a risky affair. "Five RPF personnel in civil clothes patrol this stretch during the night but they have their limitations as we cannot risk the life of any of our personnel in the name of intense anti-mobile theft patrolling," said an RPF officer.