In a case that reads like a crime thriller, Government Railway Police (GRP) Bhopal has arrested a highly educated, foreign-returned thief who preyed on unsuspecting passengers sleeping in AC coaches, turning late-night train journeys into hunting grounds.
The accused, Pranjal Dixit (36), a resident of Dev Sthan, Lucknow, is no ordinary criminal. A B.Tech graduate from Pune University, Dixit had lived in the United Kingdom on two separate occasions. Fluent, well-groomed, and technically sharp, he blended effortlessly into premium train compartments using education as camouflage for crime.
Police say Dixit's downfall began after he slipped into online betting addiction, losing heavily and sinking into financial distress. What followed was a calculated shift from engineering logic to criminal precision. His method was swift, silent thefts of purses and handbags in the dead of night.
The breakthrough came from a complaint filed by Afsha Begum, a resident of Agra. On January 20, 2026, she was travelling from Agra to Mumbai when her purse was stolen at Bhopal station while she slept. The stolen bag contained gold jewellery, Rs 35,000 cash, and important documents.
After reaching Mumbai, she filed a complaint. GRP Bhopal took the matter seriously and launched a meticulous investigation. What followed was an intense operation. Investigators scanned footage from nearly 200 CCTV cameras, mapped routes, tracked movements, and matched patterns. After ten days of relentless surveillance, Pranjal Dixit was taken into custody on January 30, 2026.
During interrogation, the engineer-turned-thief confessed not only to this theft but to four more cases within the GRP Bhopal jurisdiction. He admitted that most of the stolen cash was burnt away on online gaming platforms.
Police recovered gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 7 lakh from the accused, including a mangalsutra pendant, 2 gold chains, and a pair of gold earrings.
Each item, police say, was lifted from sleeping passengers who never realised what had happened until morning.
Four cases have been registered against Dixit at the GRP Bhopal police station under Sections 305(C) and 305(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He has been produced before the court, and police remand has been granted. Investigators are now probing whether he operated alone or had links to a wider network targeting long-distance trains.
