Thief who changed name and appearance to steal from train

Kulbir Singh often changed his name and his appearance when he travelled by premium trains. What he didn't change was his habit.
Amritsar-based Singh, who used to target fellow passengers and decamp with their valuables, was arrested recently, the police here said.
Singh, 43, had stolen valuables and cash worth about Rs 1 crore over time, a police official said.
After several successful thefts aboard trains, he ran out of luck and ended up in the clutches of law enforcers three days ago in Ratlam, Additional Superintendent of Police, Government Railway Police (GRP), Mankamna Prasad, added.
Singh -- who sometimes called himself Happy Singh -- grew a beard, shaved it off, wore a turban or took it off when he travelled by long-distance trains such as the Rajdhani and Sampark Kranti Express.

The police said he sought to look different so that he wouldn't be recognised by a train's staff.

He booked his tickets under various names such as Kulbir Singh, K Singh and Happy Singh, travelled on a confirmed ticket and targeted his fellow travellers when they were fast sleep or when they went to the washroom, Prasad said.
"He would then decamp with gold and silver ornaments, cash and other expensive items. The initial investigation revealed he had stolen valuables worth Rs one crore," Prasad said.
Prasad added he had earlier been arrested by the police in Ludhiana, Jammu and Jhansi and charged with committing thefts on trains.

"But he managed to come out on bail and again indulged in the same crime," the ASP said.
He was tracked down after the police followed up some leads and examined the modus operandi adopted by the accused, the officer said, without giving further details.
"We had been tracking his movements after getting some leads," Prasad said.
Singh was produced in a court at Ratlam, which remanded him to police custody for a week.
"We are questioning him and expect to crack other major crimes committed by him in other railway zones," Prasad said.