The Pickpocket
Mumbai, a
city of dreams, has excellent facilities available to all its citizens. It's a
crowded city and an inexperienced guy like me can get into a problem or tense
situation while traveling.So, this is
another BTS (Bizarre Travelling Story).I had heard
about pickpockets and but never saw pickpocketing in person. This incident
happened in the first week of March and it's something I'll never forget and
would like to share with you guys. Today I'll introduce you to another friend
of mine.Monsieur Unpredictable…
I would
offer anyone 100 bucks who can predict Monsieur Unpredictable.
It seemed
like I can observe people and make recognize the behavioral patterns until I
met him.
You'd
insult him and he'll still feel nothing about it.
He may get
offended sometimes even if you say something with good intentions. He's a lazy
guy and walks like a sloth even in a state of urgency. But the same guy reveals
his relentless energy while playing soccer.
He may
unknowingly hurt a person with his speech, all I know that these are the
qualities of an innocent and unpredictable person.
Now some of
you might wonder, what is the reason for introducing Monsieur Unpredictable
now?
Well, today's episode is all about his pocket
and the pickpocket.
My parents
got me a new phone after my old phone has an issue with the battery. I'd been
using that phone for years till then. Now, it's somewhere in my drawer, dead.
I think I'm kind of a cheapskate because I
didn't want to buy a new phone. I've been using my belongings very carefully.
Even with a case and a screen protector on, I was afraid to keep my phone on
the desk. When I carry my laptop in my bag, I protect it with a layer of
towels.
For the
first week, I used to keep my phone in my backpack. I didn't even take out my
phone to use on my way home if the bus was crowded. I would not dare to board
on a crowded bus. Sometimes, Monsieur Unpredictable accompanies me on the bus
as he needs to board on the trains running on the central line. He says he
saves time by boarding the train at that particular station.
Unpredictable as he always is.
As I've
told you, Mumbai is a crowded city with a population of over 10 million. One
thing I like about this city is the unity of the people. Mumbai has faced a lot
of crises over the years. There were terrorist attacks, pandemics, emergencies
but citizens stood strong on their feet to tackle these. When there was a big
terrorist attack in Mumbai a few years ago, all the citizens resumed their work
the next day it got over.
That's badass
spirit!
If a pickpocket is caught by the people, he is
either handed over to the cops or manhandled by the people. I've even
experienced it in my school when my wallet was stolen. But, I'd never seen
someone doing it. This was the first time I witnessed it.
We let
around 4 buses pass by us, they were crowded with people. We were waiting for
some buses with fewer people in it. Suddenly, I sensed the increased number of
people around us. I was scrolling to add some videos to my playlist. I got
pushed by a man; I saw he had eyes on my phone. He started looking at the
passing vehicles as I stared him in the eyes. He was a man in his 30's. He was
medium built with a backpack on his back, and something about him told me that
he was an unusual passenger. I was alarmed and this resulted in me keeping my
phone inside the bag again. I guess he had noticed that I would board on the
same bus Monsieur Unpredictable would. He took a seat at the bus stop.
The
increase in the number of people at the same time alerted me that the man
wasn't alone.
(To be clear to all of you, it was just my
suspicion. He seemed just like us, he seemed like a normal working-class man. I
decided to shut down these thoughts and stay calm instead.)
Fortunately,
a bus with almost no people in it headed towards the bus stop. It was a short
trip bus, justified the reason behind the vacant seats…
I was the
first to reach the door. As soon as the halted, a person started pushing me
from sideways. I was pissed off by that crackhead's gesture. There were a lot
of seats already, why the hell was that guy in a hurry?
I grounded my feet so he couldn't push me
further. I boarded on the bus and sat on the seat next to the door.
The guy who
was pushing me had managed to be the second person boarding the bus. Monsieur
Unpredictable was the next one to get in.
As soon as he took his first step on the stairs, the suspicious man
started pushing him. It seemed just like what had happened to me. He had been
pushing him from the left side. After realizing that Monsieur Unpredictable
wasn't a person to be pushed easily, he started yelling at him. Showing another
piece of his Unpredictability, Monsieur lost his cool and started arguing with
the guy for pushing him. Ensuring that Monsieur Unpredictable is engaged
arguing him on looking sideways, the man got his hand around his right pocket.
His fingers quickly scanned his pocket in search
of something he can steal. I was furious. I had my eyes on his pocket; I just
wanted to catch that man red-handed.😠
The man was
unsuccessful in stealing from Monsieur Unpredictable. Monsieur got inside the
bus and sat beside me. I asked him to check his right pocket. He was confused;
he still hadn't understood what that man tried to do with his pocket. I told
him everything that I saw. He gave a death stare to the man. The man was
staring back at him. I guess he had realized that I knew what he did. The man
got a seat behind me and I was alert as a Doberman. He asked the conductor for
a ticket to the next stop.
What the
hell!
He could have walked that distance by the
sidewalk, he sure was after our pockets.
As he left,
he was really angry about what I saw…
I couldn't
do anything.
Maybe I was
afraid of my parents' reaction.
Maybe I was
afraid of the consequences I would've needed to face after I'd raised my voice
against him.
I had no proof against him!
All these reasons resulted
in inaction.
The guy who
had pushed me while getting inside the bus departed at the same stop. After the
bus left the stop, those guys started talking to each other.
Everything
was clear as a crystal.
They both
were together in this!
And the
backpack that the suspicious man was carrying had nothing in it.
It seemed very light! Maybe it served as a bag
to keep the stolen belonging.
After we departed, I waved Monsieur Unpredictable goodbye. He was okay now. He had kept his belongings in his bag. He had a train to catch. I told my parents and friends about this experience. I was expecting some strong reaction but they reacted like they've heard a lot of stories like these before. That's true though, I'm the one who is an inexperienced traveler.
I wished I
was Spiderman so I could teach that guy a lesson. I was never bitten by a
spider. Even though I've been bitten by a dog, Dogman doesn't sound good to me.
I couldn't do anything because I ain't a police officer.
I am just an engineering student…😐
The same
night, I was thinking about a lot of things. A lot of questions were arising in
my mind…
Should I
have raised my voice when I saw him attempting to steal from my friend?
What if
that triggered their fight-or-flight response?
What if
they had chosen a fight?
And what
should be done to protect our belongings to get stolen?
If you have answers to any of my questions,
please do answer me in the comment section. I'd love to hear your views on
this.😃
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