Indian is 1000 times safer than London: Bengaluru-based founder Kaushik Mudda describes alleged distraction theft in London

Ethereal Machines CEO and co-founder Kaushik Mudda said he narrowly prevented two men from stealing his luggage outside London’s Euston railway station after what he described as a distraction tactic during a cab ride.

The Bengaluru-based deeptech startup executive shared details of the incident on X, saying he had just arrived at Euston and placed his bags in the boot of a cab. According to Mudda, a man then approached the cab window and claimed that one of its tyres had been punctured.

Mudda said he stepped out to inspect the tyre, only to notice another man reaching into the boot and attempting to take his luggage. He said he intervened, pushed the man down, retrieved his bag and saw the two men flee.


The incident prompted Mudda to comment on safety in London. “India is 1000 times safer,” he wrote on X after recounting the experience.

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How Kaushik Mudda said the attempted theft unfolded

Mudda said the incident occurred on his first night in London after he exited Euston railway station in Central London.

According to his account, he loaded his luggage into the boot of a cab before getting inside. Shortly afterwards, another man appeared at the cab window and told him that the vehicle’s tyre had been punctured.

Mudda said he got out of the cab to check the alleged problem. While doing so, he noticed another person with his hand inside the boot, apparently attempting to steal one of his bags.

“First night in London - got out of Euston, put my bags in cab’s boot. Sat down, a guy appears claiming the tyre was punctured,” Mudda wrote on X.

“Jumped out & saw another guy whose hand was inside the boot to steal my bag,” he added.

Mudda said he then pushed the man down, took back his bag and watched the two men run away.

“Pushed him down, I grabbed my bag and they ran,” he wrote.

Mudda compares London experience with safety in India

After describing what he said happened outside Euston station, Mudda compared his experience with safety in India.

“India is 1000 times safer,” he wrote on X.

His comment became part of the discussion surrounding the post, with users responding by sharing their own experiences of alleged theft and attempted theft in London.

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Social media users share similar London experiences

Several users responding to Mudda’s post said they had encountered similar situations, including incidents involving bags and other belongings.

One user described an alleged incident outside London Euston station in which a person accompanying them had gone to the washroom while they remained near their bags. The user said someone approached them for directions and that, after instinctively looking towards the bags, they noticed another person was nearly attempting to steal them. According to the user, both individuals then ran away.

Another user thanked Mudda for remaining safe and said the incident could have prompted negative commentary if a similar event had happened to a Westerner in Bengaluru.

“And yet, here you are in London instead of India, lol,” a third user commented.

A fourth user said their wife’s phone had allegedly been pickpocketed from inside the M&M store in Leicester Square the previous year. The user claimed staff told them such incidents happened frequently and that CCTV footage could not be shown without police authorisation. The user further alleged that police said they were too busy to investigate what they described as a petty phone theft.

The experiences shared in the replies are individual social-media accounts and were not independently verified in the post.