Thief Hangs from Moving Train After Snatching Phone, Jumps Off Amid Beating by Passengers

A dramatic scene aboard the Bhagalpur-Muzaffarpur Janseva Intercity Express has gone viral after a suspected phone thief was filmed clinging to the footboard of a moving train while being assaulted by passengers. The incident occurred near Munger district and has triggered a wave of reactions online.

According to eyewitnesses, the man had allegedly snatched a mobile phone from a passenger and attempted to flee. With no exit available, he was forced to hang onto the doorway of the speeding train, holding on for several minutes as irate passengers confronted him.

In the widely circulated video, the suspect, wearing a torn T-shirt and jeans and visibly injured, can be seen warning his attackers not to come closer, threatening to pull them down with him. Despite his pleas, some passengers struck him with a belt and hurled verbal abuse as he dangled precariously.

The man eventually lost his grip and jumped into bushes alongside the track, narrowly avoiding being run over. It is not yet clear what happened to him after he jumped.

The video, filmed by another passenger, has garnered over 500,000 views on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), drawing mixed reactions from the public.

Jamalpur Railway Superintendent of Police, Raman Chaudhary, confirmed to Aaj Tak that authorities are investigating the incident and working to identify the individual seen in the video.

“We are looking into the matter and attempting to establish the identity of the man shown hanging from the train,” Chaudhary said.

The video has sparked debate, with some users expressing sympathy for the alleged thief and others supporting the passengers’ actions.

One user commented, “Now people will sympathize with the thief, but no one talks about the trauma of losing a hard-earned phone.” 

Another wrote, “If someone works an entire month to buy a ₹12,000 phone, and it gets stolen in seconds, there’s no reason to feel compassion for the thief.”

However, others condemned the violence, arguing that justice should be left to the legal system. “No one should take the law into their own hands. Beating someone on a moving train could have killed him,” a user noted.

As of the time of reporting, there has been no official confirmation on whether the man has been located or arrested. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing.