Phone snatch: Man loses arm and leg after train runs over him

CHENNAI: A 40-year-old man lost his left leg and arm after the rail wheels ran over him when he fell from a moving train near Basin Bridge after a minor boy, standing along the track, allegedly snatched the victim's mobile phone.

The victim was identified as Abdul Kareem of Vaniyambadi near Vellore, where he runs a mobile service center. On Sunday, he had come to Chennai to buy spare parts and had boarded the Yelagiri Express bound for Jolarpet.

As the train was crossing the Basin Bridge station at a slow pace Kareem was standing by the door. A minor boy who was standing by the tracks snatched his phone. Kareem lost his balance and fell off the moving train and his limbs came under the rail wheels.

Passer-by alerted the Government Railway Police (GRP) officials who moved the victim to Government Stanley Hospital for treatment. After investigations, police arrested the minor boy who snatched the phone. Police investigations revealed that he already sold the stolen mobile phone.

After the inquiry, the boy was produced before a magistrate and sent to a government observation home. In January this year, a 24-year-old migrant worker died after he fell from a moving express train when twin brothers standing near the track tried to snatch his mobile phone near Korukkupet railway station. The deceased S Rony Sheik (24) of West Bengal was traveling in Coromandel express (Santragachi to MGR Chennai Central Railway station) and was coming to Chennai when the incident happened.