A joint railway task force, comprising RPF and GRP personnel, was constituted on Sunday to curb incidents of drug-and-rob on trains passing through Ranchi, Chakradharpur and Kharagpur divisions of South Eastern Railway.

The move comes a week after a 45-year-old man was drugged on board the Kalinga Utkal Express. The passenger was taken to Chakradharpur railway hospital on January 8, where he died within half an hour. Sources said the victim was drugged somewhere near Kharagpur station in Bengal.

Superintendent of railway police (SRP), Tatanagar, Mohammed Arsi said a task force was the need of the hour to bust drug-and-rob gangs active under the three divisions.

"Task force personnel will conduct surprise checks on trains and quiz suspicious passengers. Often gang members travel in reserved coaches with genuine tickets to prey on their targets," Arsi said.

Explaining the modus operandi, the SRP said gangs first identified their targets, often a passenger travelling alone, then befriended him/her to gain trust. "They gather all information about their targets. Then they offer their victims food laced with drugs. Once the passenger drops unconscious, the gang steals his/her belongings," the SRP added.

Arsi maintained that the task force would work on board long-distance trains covering Kharagpur and Rourkela stations, and Ranchi and Tatanagar. "Besides surprise checking, the task force will ask passengers not to accept food or beverages from unknown co-passengers," he said.

To spread awareness among passengers, posters will be put up on coaches and a warning will be issued on train tickets as well. "We will also distribute pamphlets among passengers, advising them to be alert during their journey," the SRP said.

Nearly 80 trains, including express and passenger, cross Tatanagar every day. On an average, three cases of drug-and-rob are reported to Tatanagar railway police every month.

What else can be done to step up train vigil? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com