Government Railway Police, Jamalpur, are in a fix over the rise in crimes on running trains and the refusal by Special Auxiliary Force personnel to escort trains.

Around 12.10am on Monday, dozens of armed criminals raided the 18182 Chhapra-Tata Express near Dadpur BH halt between Kiul and Jhajha railway stations on the Patna-Asansol main section of Eastern Railway and looted property worth not less than Rs 10 lakh from the passengers of compartments S1, S2 and S3. They fired seven or eight rounds to create panic.

The GRP escort party consisting of eight constables and an ASI-rank officer returned fire but no criminals were injured or nabbed. They just got off the train and vanished in the dark at the isolated Dadpur BH halt in Maoist country.

Jamalpur superintendent of railway police (SRP) Uma Shankar Prasad said the criminals stopped the train by forcing the cabin man, at gunpoint, to flash a red signal. 'In the preliminary inquiry, we came to know that around five or six criminals pointed a gun at the cabin man and forced him to change the signal. My men, escorting the train, did not realise the game plan. But when they heard gunshots, they rushed to the compartments concerned,' he said.

Asked why the GRP personnel did not take on the criminals, Prasadsaid it was risky to fire inside a compartment of passengers. He said: 'I was patrolling in Jamalpur last night. All my senior officials, too, were on the Kiul-Asansol section. And yet, the criminals managed to carry out the loot.'

He ruled out the role of Maoists. 'We interrogated every passenger. They all narrated how the criminals snatched even Rs 50 or 100 from them. The rebels are not known to do that,' the SRP said.

Since last week, the SRP and his subordinates have started regular night patrolling till Tulshitard on the Kiul-Asansol section and Mirzachouki on the Kiul-Sahebganj loop section. All these areas fall under the Jamalpur SRP's jurisdiction.

What has compounded the SRP's problem was the boycott by SAF personnel deputed to GRP, Jamalpur, from doing escort duty on trains and at railway stations since Sunday. 'They have refused to work on running trains and stations after criminals killed SAF personnel Santosh Kumar Singh on a running Farakka Express train late on January 1. Earlier, on October 29, 2014, another SAF personnel, Prithviraj Singh, was killed on the platform at Bhagalpur railway station.

Prasad was unhappy with SAF. 'On many occasions, we found them wanting in their work. I've asked GRP inspector Pramod Kant to probe and, if required, I will ask the government to withdraw SAF's services from GRP,' he said.

A SAF personnel, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'As per contract, we have to participate in raids with the GRP but we are being made to do other jobs. Also, no senior officers accompany us. So, we would land in trouble were we to fire on criminals without proper orders.'

Prasadsaid they would soon launch a massive combing operation against the gangs with the district police's help.