TO CATCH A THIEF

TO CATCH A THIEF

It was a long overnight train journey - from Lucknow to Gorakhpur .The period was the last days of British rule in India. The railways in this
segment was known as Oudh Tirahut Railways -  OTR in short.

He was travelling first class as he was an officer of the government with a high salary. In those days very few travelled first, the highest class. The
compartment consisted of two comfortable and wide lower berths and one upper.The other upper space was the hat stand. In those days all the officers travelled with what was
known as a SOLA HAT .

There were only two passengers in the compartment. He found the other traveller to be a well dressed cultured
businessman and was very much relieved as he was carrying gold ornaments for the marriage of his daughter. Now he could sleep through the night.

The train left Lucknow at the scheduled time and soon picked up speed as it was an express train. Both the passengers soon fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the berths and the roar of the wind.

He woke up sometime later when someome started hammering at the door. The train was in motion, in a
low speed. He looked through the glass shutter and saw a poor man
standing outside on the narrow footboard of the door. The man explained that he had a valid third
class ticket but could not find the compartment as he arrived late on the platform when the train was already moving."

Sir, I will sit on the floor near the door and shift to the third class at the next station", implored the man. The next station, Gonda, was a good one hour away.

He was undecided whether to let the poor man in.Times were bad. He looked enquiringly at the other
passenger who asked him not to open the door.

"He clearly looks like a petty thief. Let him keep standing outside" said the
sauve businessman disdainfully.

But he eventually opened the door out of pity. It was dangerous for this fragile man to keep standing on
footboard in a speeding train. Since he was an officer of the British Empire
his decision prevailed. These men ruled India with an iron hand within a velvet glove.

He decided to keep waking till the next station but, tired as he was, he fell asleep.

He woke up abruptly. There was a big commotion somewhere outside his
window. The train was not moving. Yes, it was Gonda junction. He was alone in the compartment. Looking
under his berth,he found the attache containing the ornaments gone !

As he sprang up to rush outside, a police constable entered. The constable ,who gave him a resounding
salute, was carrying his attache !

The constable told him that the thief was caught by the other person in the
compartment. He loudly called out the other person to come in. And as he
was preparing himself to thank the businessman. he found the poor man , whom he had 'rescued' from
the footboard, entering.

It came to pass that, as train dropped speed on approaching the Gonda
station, the 'businessman' quietly removed his attache and was hurrying out when he stumbled over the poor
man sleeping on the floor and woke him up. The poor man had seen the attahe under the berth of the kind
officer and was quick to raise an alarm as he overpowered the thief.The
constables on the platform did the rest.

When the officer took out a big currency note to reward the poor man he declined to accept it.

"Sir, I only repaid your kindness" he said respectfully as he stepped down to hurry to his third class compartment.

The engine was giving a long whistle for onward journey . . . .

( I got this story from the horse's mouth in my childhood when the said
officer, now a very old man, stayed with us as a guest. In those days I used to get along famously with old
men who told me true tales from their own good old days !!)