The great train robberies of Odisha

The other day I read the news of a girl and her father found sleeping inside a train in Howrah sedated, long after the train arrived at station. They woke up to find themselves robbed off Rs.3.5 lakh ($5,000) worth of jewellery and whatever cash they had. They were swindled by a stranger who fed the gullible dad -daughter duo narcotics laced food.

When I grew up in Odisha, the first thing I did every morning is to throughly scan the vernacular newspapers for news from the nook and corner of the state. Every other month I stumbled across this on Odia dailies - TRAIN JATRI KU NISA KHUAI TANKARA TANKA PAISA LOOT (A Train Passenger looted of money and other valuables after being fed with intoxicants).

Armymen who used to come home on months long vacation used to be the typical victims of these great Train robberies. The poor military man often woke up sluggish long after the train arrived at the station only to discovered that he has been looted of all his possessions.

The usual modus operandi of the con - make friendship with their victims, flatter them with sweet talk, butter them with eulogies and accolades. Once they earn the confidence of their victims, serve them with sedative laced food and rob off their valuable possessions. Such incidents happened mostly in and around Cuttack station in Odisha.

Often these gullible, hapless victims are swindled off everything, including their cloths. It is not unusual to find the victims left completely naked, lucky to be left only to their underwear. Once our neighbor came back from Delhi in Nilachal Express. When he knocked his door early in the morning, his little neice tried to shoo him away - HE BHIKARI, JA JA (Hey Beggar, get outta here).

Apparently the girl couldn't recognize his uncle who was only in his LUNGI (loin cloth wrapped around waist) and bare chested. Long story short - the night before he went to sleep on the upper berth of his reserved compartment after changing itto his LUNGI, a ritual with the Odias from that generation. Post a good night of sound sleep, he woke up and yawned, came down looking for his sandals to visit to toilet. As he rubbed his eyes looking around, he discovered that Everything - his shirt, trousers, sandal and belongings were missing. To add salt to his discomfiture, his neice thought him as a beggar due to his forlorn look and outfit as he managed to reach his home in tatters.

I have travelled multiple times in long distant trains in India. On the way friendship developes with many unknowns, exchanges addresses and occasionally phone numbers takes place at end (such relationships are extremely temporary and invariably ends after getting off from the train).

But I religiously adhered to this cardinal rule - Never ever accept food from a stranger, how much friendly he or she might appear to be. When offered, I politely refuse and stay stubborn if  insisted upon. As Tom Hanks said in the iconic movie FORREST GUMP - Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. The God always votes for you, the Devil against you, but the decisive vote always comes from you.