In Mumbai, the local train is famously called the city’s lifeline. But in today's world, the real lifeline for most people is their smartphone. It connects them to family, work, and the world, making its loss a serious disruption. And that’s exactly what’s happening: your lifeline might be snatched before your next stop.

From 2022 to date, 37,398 cases of phone theft have been registered with the Government Railway Police (GRP), Mumbai, but only 16,154 have been solved. Theft typically occurs on crowded trains and platforms, where passengers often don’t realise they’ve been targeted until much later. According to GRP data, Kalyan and Kurla stations top the list for most thefts. These hubs, ironically, are also among the most heavily policed.

“A lot of these thefts are carried out by rackets — small gangs of thieves who work together. We recently nabbed one such member, and when that happens, cases momentarily drop because these individuals steal several phones a day,” said a senior official from the Railway Police Crime Branch. The challenge: Most victims only notice their phone missing once they've exited the train. That makes it hard to trace the exact spot where the theft occurred.