I ended April with a mini vacation. I went on leave in the last week of April. I needed that break after hectic start to the month. In May when I returned in train, I was warned to keep my wallet and mobile phone safe.
“Rishi, from now onwards don’t keep your mobile phone in your hand while getting out of the train or getting in the train.” Dwarkesh Kaka warned me as he got in the train and saw the mobile phone in my hand.
“It should be in your pocket and your one hand should be on that pocket and your other hand should be on that pocket in which you keep wallet,” He sat on his seat after cleaning the dirt.
“Thieves are moving in the train and they are pretty good at stealing the things. I know how they steal the wallets and mobile phones. I have seen them doing that.” Dwarkesh Kaka continued without giving me a chance to ask, “Why?”
“When did you see them stealing the things?” I was hearing about the thieves for the first since I started commuting.
“Couple of days back when I was coming back in Saurashtra Express in the evening. A guy was sitting in the last row. He was well dressed and was carrying a backpack.” Dwarkesh Kaka started telling what he saw.
“As the train started approaching Ahmedabad station, he got up and targeted those people whose wallets were half in and half out and those people whose mobile phones were in their hand.” I was listening to him with lot of interest.
“He went through the coach swiftly. He ran, picked up two wallets, jumped over the seating coach where he didn’t get the space to go through. He snatched mobile from the hands of the man who was standing near door, pushed him, got down off the train and ran away. He did this in the span of two minutes and when he was snatching the mobile phone then people got it that he is the thief. When he got out of the train then those two came to know that their wallets are also gone. The person whose phone he snatched, ran behind him. But by the time he got down from the train, the thief was out of the sight.” Dwarkesh Kaka finished the story.
My jaws dropped when I heard that story. “No one shouted to catch that guy when he moved out of the train,” I asked after collecting back my jaws. “People shouted but train was moving at that time. When it stopped then no one was able to find him. Man whose mobile was snatched went behind him on that track but he also was not able to find him. It happened in front of my eyes. Thus, I have become cautious. You also take care of your phone and wallet specially while getting out of the train when there are a lot of people around you.” Dwarkesh Kaka warned me again.
As per his warning, I started keeping one hand on the pocket in which I had phone and other hand on the pocket in which I had wallet while unboarding the train. It looked funny but that was the only way to keep my phone and wallet safe.
In the second week of may, I was heading back towards home with Nikesh and Mukesh. That day, Dharmendra Sir and Mahesh Kaka were on leave. While Dwarkesh Kaka went home early. This time it was Maninagar where a wallet and a mobile was stolen. It was done in the same way in which Dwarkesh Kaka described. The thief passed by our seat but luckily all our valuables were not easily accessible. Maninagar station has a lot of escape gates. Thus, it is easier to escape from that station but this time the guy was caught. There were lot of people on Maninagar station and when they heard the shouts of people from the train, they caught him.
As that thief was caught, I got down from the train at Maninagar along with Nikesh and Mukesh. And we were shocked to see him. We were wondering how he can be a thief? He was wearing branded clothes and shoes. He had a branded bag. He had an iPhone. People found around 15K in his wallet. We were wondering what is the need of stealing the things when he has everything. People asked him about the reason behind stealing those thing? “Just for fun,” He replied with wicked smile on his face. People asked him whether he stole those wallets and phone at Ahmedabad station? He denied that. People called his father at Maninagar station.
When he arrived, he looked a person financially capable person to afford those brands and iPhone. Only god knows, why he stole those things. We were not able to know more about it as his father took control of everything. According to me, he was a kleptomaniac. Only god knows, if he was the same guy who stole wallets and a phone from Ahemdabad station. Whether he was really a kleptomaniac? That also only god knows!
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