Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Why do thieves target woman commuters?' that was published in Newsband

Why do thieves target woman commuters?

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Some Navi Mumbai woman commuters have found themselves targeted by thieves and loafers while traveling in trains. This has created a necessity for the police to put more men or women on duty in ladies compartments particularly. The hooligans find that it is easier to attack women in the ladies compartment especially when they are traveling at the time when it is not peak hour. This has led to many women preferring to travel by general compartment since at least there they can feel secure among men. It is found that these hooligans do not dare to terrify women when they are traveling in the compartment along with men.

Some of the women from Navi Mumbai also have found themselves become the victims of such shady characters. For example, here are the cases of two women of Navi Mumbai who had a terrifying experience in the Mumbai local train. But both of them put up such a brave fight that they managed to score over their attackers although not without sustaining injuries. 

Shikha Shedde (28) is a Navi Mumbai resident, who in the month of October  2012 was traveling in the second class ladies compartment of a Vashi-Thane Harbour local. She was attacked by a thief with a knife. The thief had taken care to cover his face with handkerchief to escape from being identified. The thief attacked her and asked her to part with her necklace. When she resisted, the thief began to hurt her. But the brave lady managed to jump out of the running train at Sanpada railway station. She sustained bruises on her both hands and legs.

Priya Durgale (20), an MBA student, was traveling in the second class compartment of CST-bound local in November 2011. Suddenly she was attacked by a thief who made desperate attempts to snatch her bag. The thief attacked her with a blade but she resisted and put up a brave fight. She managed to make the thief retreat. She sustained injuries on both the hands.

Such cases of women who put up a brave front against the thieves inspire other woman commuters not to fear the criminals who target them in the trains but instead put up a brave fight against them.