Patna, Jan. 7: Over 24 passengers travelling in two sleeper coaches of Puri-New Delhi Neelachal Express were robbed of cash and jewellery near Sasaram in Rohtas early this morning, exposing the poor security arrangements on trains passing through Bihar.

The victims told the police that 10 armed robbers boarded the New Delhi-bound train at Dehri-on-Sone and went on a looting spree on two three-tier sleeper coaches S10 and S11 between 4.30am and 4.45am. They alighted from the train after pulling the alarm chain near the outer signal of Sasaram railway station under Mughalsarai railway division of the East Central Railway and escaped with the booty.

The passengers staged a protest when the train reached Mughalsarai around 6.30am. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged with the Mughalsarai Government Railway Police (GRP) station.

The robbery on Neelachal Express was the fourth incident of crime on wheels in Bihar in the past one month. Only two days ago, the passengers of Chhapra-Tata Express were robbed of their belongings in Jamui district.

Sharing his bitter experience early this morning with The Telegraph, Uday Bhan Singh of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand said the criminals launched their operation soon after the train left Dehri-on-Sone. 'They threatened the passengers to shoot with pistols they were carrying and collected cash and ornaments. Nobody offered resistance apprehending threat to life,' he told The Telegraph. Singh, who was going to Delhi with his family, said the criminals forced his wife to part with the ornaments she was wearing.