Armed robbers fired in the air to keep security forces at bay, thrashed passengers who tried to resist, and looted cash and valuables worth over Rs 1 lakh on the Jaynagar-Ranchi Express early on Thursday.

The incident occurred on the Rajendra railway bridge in the Mokama-Kiul section of East Central Railway in Begusarai district.

Police said the robbers stormed into three sleeper coaches - S1, S3 and S8 - of the Ranchi-bound train around 1.05am on Thursday and robbed the passengers at gunpoint.

At least six passengers were brutally assaulted when they tried to resist the loot attempt and tried to raise an alarm.

The passengers told the police that the criminals boarded the train as passengers at Barauni railway junction.

They went on a looting spree as soon the train crossed the Rajendra Nagar railway over bridge.

The passengers were asked to part with their cash, cellphones and any other valuables they might be carrying with them.

The crime came to light after passengers reported the incident at the government railway police station in Dhanbad later.

A senior government railway police official said the statement of the passengers had been recorded and the same would be forwarded to the government railway police (GRP) at Mokama to formally register a complaint in connection with the incident.

Rakesh Kumar, 32, who was travelling on S8 bogie of the train, said the robbers had covered their faces with clothes and were speaking in the local dialect, which suggests they belonged to the Mokama-Begusarai area.

The robbers took away Rakesh's cellphone and Rs 2,500 in cash that he was carrying on him.

Kundan Mahto, 45, said he was travelling with his family on coach S3 of the train and was unaware of the crime taking place in the other coaches when suddenly some youths travelling in the bogie whipped out pistols and began robbing the passengers.

He said the train was running at a low speed on the bridge connecting Patna to Begusarai through Hathidah (Mokama) when the crime took place.

The robbers alighted after pulling the chain at the outer signal. They also fired a few shots in the air to keep the security personnel at bay.

Efforts to contact the chief public relations officer of the East Central Railway, Arvind Rajak, proved futile.

The station house officer (SHO) of Mokama GRP also refused to share details of the incident.

This is not the first time that train robbers have targeted a Ranchi-bound train. On February 1, passengers in an air-conditioned compartment of the same train (Ranchi-Jaynagar Express) were robbed of belongings worth Rs 8 lakh.

The incident had occurred before Jasidih railway junction on the Kiul-Jasidih section of ECR.

An FIR was lodged at Kiul GRP on the statement of a passenger, B.N. Jha. The case was later transferred to Jhaja GRP as the area falls under its jurisdiction.