This is the dramatic moment an alleged phone thief was seen hanging from the window of a moving train when he tried to run from a passenger who caught him red-handed.

The robber, not identified in local media, reportedly grabbed a handset from another passenger on the train in Bhagalpur, in the Bihar State of India.

But just before he could escape through the open window, the alleged victim reportedly caught him by his hand and held him hanging off the moving train with the help of fellow travellers.

He was reportedly kept hanging outside the window of the train for at least one kilometre (0.6 miles).

Nail-biting footage shows him dangling over the rail tracks and being repeatedly slapped on the head by some passengers.

Moments later, the train came to a halt and he was rescued by two unknown men on the ground, allegedly members of the snatcher's gang.

Local officials are yet to release further details regarding the incident.