Patna, Sept. 25: The rail robbers are back in striking mood with festivals round the corner. They struck on four trains passing through the state in the past one-and a-half-months taking advantage of security loopholes, compelling cops to take stock of the situation.
Alarmed over the recurrent robberies ahead of Dussehra and Chhath, inspector-general (rail) S.K. Bhardwaj reviewed the security arrangements for train passengers at a meeting with the Government Railway Police (GRP) officers in Jamalpur on Saturday.
Bhardwaj said an alert had been sounded on the vulnerable routes to prevent train dacoities. “We have deployed men in plain clothes, who travel on trains as bona fide travellers with small firearms. If required they can seek the help of armed policemen at the nearest GRP station. In addition, frequent search operations are being conducted on important trains. We are trying to provide escorts on trains as much as possible,” he said, adding that surveillance on the criminal gangs operating on the vulnerable routes had been intensified.
Total 1,107 trains pass through Bihar every day. Not even 300 of them are escorted by security personnel.
Sources said 223 trains are escorted by the GRP, while the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel escort 65 trains.
Taking advantage of the absence of any escort party, armed criminals struck on Darbhanga-Calcutta Mithilanchal Express near Jamui under Danapur rail division late on Friday night and decamped with belongings of passengers of a compartment worth over Rs 1 lakh.
“Had there been an escort party on the train, the incident would not have taken place,” said Rakesh Kumar, who was travelling in an AC coach of the train.
Four days back, around 50 armed people boarded Sealdah-New Delhi Lal Quila Express, assaulted the passengers and looted over Rs 2.5 lakh, including cash, jewellery and cellphones, in Lakhisarai district. At least 20 passengers, including women, sustained grievous injuries in the attack.
Two weeks ago, some robbers boarded a passenger train between Ara and Buxar railway stations and escaped with cellphones, cash and other valuables. The victims later lodged a complaint with the Ara GRP.
Earlier, a gang of armed criminals robbed passengers of Howrah-Amritsar Express of cash and valuables near Simultala railway station in Jamui district on the Bihar-Jharkhand border on August 13. The criminals assaulted at least six passengers when they tried to resist their loot attempt. The passengers lost cash and valuables worth Rs 1.5 lakh.
Records with the GRP and the RPF suggest that most of the crimes on trains passing through the state occurred on Patna-Gaya, Mughalsarai-Jhajha, Danapur-Mughalsarai, Patna-Kiul, Gaya-Mughalsarai, Hajipur-Gorakhpur, and Barauni-Samastipur routes. Taking a cue from the past, the GRP has chalked out a detailed strategy to curb crime on wheels.
Patna rail superintendent of police Suresh Prasad Choudhary said announcements were being made through the public address system at important railway stations about precautions to be taken by the passengers while travelling.
“We are keeping a close watch on the passengers travelling in general compartments,” he said, adding that all precautionary measures were being taken to ensure safe rail journey.
