Howrah: A young woman and her father who were drugged and robbed while travelling to Howrah by the Azad Hind Express have been told by the government railway police (GRP) that there has been no progress in the investigation.

Dentist Nishi Agarwal, 25, had woken up groggy and confused in an AC 2-tier coach with father Nawal Kishore, 52, on Wednesday morning. Soon they realised Nawal's gold chain, weighing 50gm, and two rings, one of them diamond-studded, were missing along with Rs 8,000 cash from Nishi's handbag.

Based on the description given by Nishi, the GRP had identified the suspect as Subhankar Chakrabarty, a repeat offender with a history of drugging and robbing passengers on long-distance trains.

A railway official said law and order was a state subject and hence, the probe was being conducted by the GRP. "Had railway property been stolen or damaged, RPF would have been involved in the probe," he told Metro.

"There had been no communication from the police since we returned to Dhanbad on Thursday. I called up the Howrah GRP on Monday and the officer told me there had been no development in the investigation and that the suspect could not be traced. I identified the man from an album of suspects' photographs and his records were available with police," Nishi said.

A GRP officer in Howrah said Chakrabarty's photograph has been shared with the GRP in adjoining states. "We are yet to come across any lead," he said.

Doctors suspect Nishi and Nawal became unconscious after "inhalation of some substance". The two had landed up in the Santragachhi car shed after all the passengers got down at Howrah station.

A railway official said law and order was a state subject and hence the probe was being conducted by the GRP. "Had railway property been stolen or damaged, the RPF would have been involved in the probe," he told Metro.

"We are carrying out a series of campaigns, including the ones on digital media, on the perils of being too friendly with passengers and accepting food from them".

Nishi has said she had refused water offered to her by the suspect.