Twins who snatched phone from train commuter held at Churchgate

Satyam and Shivam Singh in police custody

The Churchgate Government Railway Police (GRP) have arrested twin brothers for snatching the mobile phone of a 53-year-old Goregaon resident who died under a train while attempting to chase them at Charni Road station on Sunday.

The accused, Satyam Singh and Shivam Singh, both residents of Nalasopara, were arrested from their residence on Tuesday. According to Purshottam Karad, DCP (GRP WR), the incident occurred in the wee hours of Sunday when Shakil Gaffar Shaikh was travelling on the Churchgate bound local with two of his friends. They all are drivers with a five-star hotel in south Mumbai.

"They were standing near the door and around 6.43 am, the train reached Charni Road station. In a few seconds, after the train started, Shivam Singh snatched Shaikh's phone and jumped off the running train on to the platform. Without thinking, Shaikh jumped off on to the platform, not realising that the train had crossed the platform. He hit a wall and rebounded under the wheels of the train," Karad said.

Following the incident, the Churchgate GRP registered the case under sections 392 and 304 of the India Penal Code and started investigation. Bandra GRP Senior Inspector V Chaugule and his team then sorted out the information and a team visited Nalasopara from where they arrested Shivam. Satyam's name cropped up during interrogation, so the police arrested him, too. The police have also arrested the 40-year-old woman who bought the phone from Shivam.

The police said the brothers used to routinely try to foist the crime on to the other twin. There are over 17 cases registered against Shivam and five against Satyam. During inquiry, the accused revealed that their father, too, has been lodged in a Kolhapur jail serving a 10-year sentence in an NDPS case.

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