Mumbai: Pickpocket threatened victims with blade hidden in mouth

Gaffar Sheikh had quite a mouth on him. The 32-year-old Mumbra resident allegedly used to pick the pockets of commuters aboard trains and on being confronted, would flash a blade hidden safely in his mouth. His luck ran out on Sunday when the RPF caught him trying to pick the pocket of a commuter.

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Illustration/Ravi Jadhav

RPF personnel were patrolling the Kurla station late on Sunday when they spotted Sheikh moving around furtively. They followed him to platform 8, from where he boarded a train. The RPF personnel tailed him into the train and spotted him attempting to pick the pocket of a commuter soon after. The commuter raised an alarm just as the personnel moved in swiftly to nab Sheikh.

Gaffar Sheikh

Terrorising victims
It was only when the RPF began questioning him at the Kurla station did they realise Sheikh was no ordinary pickpocket. Forget revealing his identity, he refused to even open his mouth. Finding that odd, the police forced him to do so. That's when Sheikh fished out a sharp blade out of his mouth.

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As his weapon of terror was revealed, so was his modus operandi. Sheikh told the police that he used to hide the blade in his mouth to terrorise his victims if caught stealing belongings.

Suresh Atri, senior inspector, Kurla RPF, said Sheikh has been arrested under sections 153 (endangering the safety of persons travelling by railway by wilful act or omission), 145 (nuisance) and 147 (trespassing) of the Railways Act. "He was produced before the holiday court and sent to judicial custody till August 20."

The RPF have found that Sheikh's drug addiction prompted him to take to a life of crime, and that he has several cases of petty crimes registered against him.