Safe on trains

Patna, June 3: The Government Railway Police (GRP) have chalked out a new strategy to contain crime on running trains passing through the state. Equipped with small firearms and electronic gadgets, policemen would travel as passengers to keep a tab on suspicious elements.

The cops will keep a close watch on the activities of suspicious elements in compartments, particularly in air-conditioned coaches, which have been on the target of the train robbers.

Each team of the covert force would be headed either by a sub-inspector or an assistant sub-inspector.

“Each team would have a minimum strength of four-five policemen headed by a sub-inspector or an assistant sub-inspector,” additional director-general (railways) S.K. Bhardwaj said.

Bhardwaj told The Telegraph that 35-40 teams had been pressed into service to ensure safety and security to the passengers.

“We have shared intelligence inputs with our counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and prepared a list of gangs active in both the states,” he said, adding that the photo- graphs of the most wanted gangsters have been provided to the members of the “covert force”.

The members of the force have been provided with special passes so that they could board any train. “If required, they can seek the help of the GRP personnel posted at the nearby railway station,” Bhardwaj said, adding that the members of the force have been imparted specialised training.

“The members of the force have been provided mobile numbers of all the senior officers. The activities of the members of the force would be monitored by senior authorities,” Bhardwaj said.

The new system has started yielding results. A few days ago, the GRP team members suspected some criminals travelling in a compartment of a long distance train near Buxar. They watched their activities for a while and caught them red-handed while trying to rob the passengers,” a senior officer said.

All the four members of the gang were caught and later forwarded to jail. Similarly, half a dozen members of a gang involved in robbing the passengers by intoxicating them on running trains were arrested from Gaya.

The GRP has also decided to review the list of the persons convicted in the cases of train robbery and dacoity.