Passengers, your attention please. If you have chosen the thrill, or in some cases even a bit of comfort, of sitting on the footboard of a moving train, beware. Danger could be waiting for you, often in the dark with a long pole that can thrash you down.
The railway police in Ernakulam have an extra word of caution for the ‘footboard fans’ as they have been seeing an alarming rise in theft cases targeting the ‘daring passengers’. Of the six major theft cases registered by the Ernakulam railway police in August, four pertained to offenders snatching mobile phones and other valuables after attacking those who travel by sitting on footboards of trains, a police officer said.
The cases were reported from various places, including Ernakulam South, Ernakulam North, and Aluva. The suspects were nabbed in five of the six cases, the police said. The rising trend has further increased the danger of sitting on the footboard of a moving train, which is already an illegal act, the police have warned.
In early August, the police arrested six people, including a minor, for allegedly stealing a costly mobile phone and a pair of earbuds from a passenger heading to Shoranur after hitting him with a long pole. The gang attacked the passenger, who was sitting on the footboard, when the train was chugging along shortly after leaving the station. The passenger was injured as he fell off the train. The gang members have been charged with dacoity.
The police said the robbers in such cases follow the same modus operandi of attacking passengers sitting on the footboard or standing near open doors onboard trains that move slowly after leaving a station or while passing through curves.
In another case, three migrants were arrested on charge of a similar offence that took place when a train was leaving Ernakulam North station towards south. A fourth accused, also a migrant, is absconding, the police said. A case of snatching a mobile phone from a footboard passenger was reported from near Ernakulam South overbridge too in August. Two people, including a minor, were arrested in the case. Another person who helped the accused sell off the stolen mobile was also arrested and remanded later, the police said.
In August, the railway police had also arrested a man from Aranmula in Pathanamthitta who allegedly stole mobile phones from passengers amid the rush to board a train from the Ernakulam Town station. The investigation led to seizure of more suspected stolen items, including a laptop. In that case, a person from Assam who bought a stolen laptop from the accused for a cheaper price was also arrested, the police said.
“It is important to book those who buy stolen items to prevent such repeated incidents,” a railway police officer said. He added that the combined efforts of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the railway police, a wing of the State force, had resulted in the arrests of offenders.
Published – September 04, 2025 01:28 am IST
