MP: Thief Hides Underwater For 5 Hours, Breathes Through Lotus Stem, Still Gets Caught

An inter-state thief went to extraordinary lengths to evade arrest, remaining submerged underwater for nearly five hours while breathing through a lotus stem, before being finally apprehended by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) with the assistance of divers.

The incident began in the early hours of April 6 at Sihora railway station under the Jabalpur division. Around 4:50 am, RPF personnel on preventive duty noticed a suspicious man deboarding Train No. 11753. When confronted, the man attempted to flee after allegedly trying to steal a woman’s purse onboard.

As officers closed in, the accused leapt into a nearby moss-covered pond near the local market. In a desperate and calculated attempt to escape, he remained hidden underwater for hours, using a hollow lotus stem to breathe and avoid detection.

Refusing to let him slip away, RPF personnel coordinated with local police and deployed divers to comb the pond. After a prolonged search operation, the accused was finally located and dragged out. Even then, he attempted one last escape but was overpowered by the team, sustaining minor injuries during the scuffle.

Initially trying to mislead police about his identity, the accused was later identified as Harvinder Singh (32), a resident of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. His identity was confirmed after RPF officials matched his details with an old Times of India report and verified records through the Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS).

Authorities revealed that Singh is a hardened inter-state offender with a long history of theft and snatching cases targeting train passengers. He has allegedly operated across multiple states, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, with several cases registered under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC.

He is wanted in multiple cases across GRP units in Bhopal, Itarsi, Ujjain, Igatpuri, and Visakhapatnam, with several pending warrants against him. Investigators noted that his modus operandi involves boarding trains without tickets, identifying vulnerable passengers—especially women and the elderly—and stealing valuables before quickly disembarking at intermediate stations.

To avoid being tracked, Singh reportedly carried no identity proof and frequently changed SIM cards.

A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Railway Act at RPF Post Jabalpur. Authorities have alerted multiple GRP units, and existing warrants against him have already been confirmed by GRP Igatpuri, Bhopal, and Itarsi.

He will now be produced before the Special Railway Magistrate in Jabalpur for remand.

The operation was conducted under “Operation Yatri Suraksha,” led by IPF Rajiv Kharb along with SI Arvind, and constables Vinay Mourya and Ashish Yadav.