CHANDIGARH, June 3 — Little did Mrs Reshmi Singh, Honorary Secretary, National Federation of Teachers, realise that the woman who was occupying her seat as she was adjusting her luggage was the most notorious swindler who has been successfully operating on prestigious Shatabdi trains.

“This is my seat,” Mrs Singh told the woman after she and her son, Paritosh, adjusted their luggage on the overhead racks minutes before the start of their journey to Chandigarh from New Delhi Railway Station by the Shatabdi Express last evening.

The woman, in her 30s, apologised and moved to occupy another seat. Till that time, neither Mrs Reshmi Singh nor her son were aware that the swindler had done her job. She had not only removed Rs 10,000 in cash from the purse of Mrs Singh but had also taken away their train tickets.

When the train supervisor came to check the tickets. Mrs Singh turned her purse upside down, but the tickets were not there. The money, too, was missing. She looked back at the seat the swindler had occupied. But someone else was sitting there. There was no trace of the swindler anywhere on the train. She had probably deboarded the train before it left New Delhi station.

Mrs Singh had to dole out Rs 1740 to the train supervisor as penalty for travelling ticketless. Though a frequent traveller, it was a new experience for her. Fortunately for them, Paritosh was carrying some money which saved them from “humiliation of being offloaded from the train”.

Mrs Reshmi Singh, a sister of Mr Alok Shivpuri, Principal, Foodcraft Institute, was relieved when the train finally reached Chandigarh in the evening.

But it was not an isolated incident of its type to have happened on the Shatabdi Express.

On May 28, an “affluent” woman, travelling in Executive Class, was lucky not to lose her entire gold jewellery worth several thousands to probably the same swindler.

This incident took place on the morning “Shatabdi” from New Delhi to Chandigarh. Fortunately for the “unsuspecting passenger”, one of the pouches carrying a piece of jewellery fell on the floor of the train. The “swindler”, who sat next to the passenger, was probably scared of picking up the pouch for the fear of being caught.

Ultimately, she told the passenger that a “pouch” was lying below her seat. The woman passenger picked up the “pouch”, which belonged to her, and immediately opened her purse. The rest of her “jewellery” was also missing.

Showing exemplary presence of mind, she caught hold of the “swindler” sitting next to her and raised an alarm. Her “jewellery” was recovered. She, however, did not want to get into a “police case” as she was told that the “jewellery” recovered from the “swindler” would become case property and would be restored to her only by a court order.

It was finally decided to restore the jewellery to her and book the “swindler” in some other case. Investigations revealed that the “swindler” had booked a seat in her own name and was supposed to be travelling in Coach No 6 of the same train. She, however, came looking for her prey and occupied a vacant seat next to an “affluent woman” whom she had guessed rightly for carrying either “jewellery” or “cash”.

Subsequently, neither the Government Railway Police nor the Chandigarh police registered any case against the “swindler”.