Railway thieves now eye charging points

BENGALURU: Loss of valuables, especially gadgets, is a frequent complaint lodged in long-distance trains in the Bengaluru Railway Division, particularly Karnataka Express, Rani Chennamma Express, Bangalore-Kacheguda Express and Chennai Mail.

According to government railway police personnel, you may become an easy target if you leave behind your mobiles phones and laptops for charging inside train compartments even for a couple of minutes.

“Professional thieves walk around compartments in the wee hours when most people are in deep sleep. This is when they pick up phones connected to charging points. AC compartments are their favourite haunts,” an official said.

Statistics for the last three years reveal that theft of mobile phones has come down from an average of 10 per month in 2016 to eight per month in 2018. For the first two months of 2019, the monthly average for lost phones is six. The number of laptops that went missing from trains has gone up this year to four each in January and February compared to an average of about three per month during the last three years. However, the actual number may be higher, a cop said.In addition to the complaints filed within the Division, some cases get transferred from other Railway Divisions to Bengaluru, a cop said.