Thief has been robbing riders at gunpoint on A train: Cops

Cops are looking for a subway thief who has allegedly robbed riders at gunpoint in Brooklyn and Queens at least three times this month.

In each case, the unidentified suspect pulled out a handgun on the A train and demanded straphangers hand over pricey electronics or jewelry before fleeing, police said Tuesday. All three of the incidents took place between 7 and 10:30 a.m. The first was on Aug. 1.

The most recent theft took place at around 8:15 a.m. Sunday morning on a Queens-bound A train in East New York, when the man robbed a 19-year-old woman before hopping off the train at the Shepherd Avenue station.

The crook made off with an iPhone, iPod, laptop, wallet and a chain from three straphangers, police said.

Transit cops have struggled to combat a rise in subway crime in recent years, which has jumped more than 15% over the first half of 2012 when compared to the same period last year, records show. Robberies have skyrocketed by nearly 24% over that period.

Last month, NYPD transit bureau chief Joseph Fox told the MTA's transit committee that cops have been sent to ride every subway in Bronx and Queens A and No. 7 trains overnight on weekends to fight increasing electronic thefts. He said the program had "proven to be effective."