Over 25 sovereigns of jewellery were allegedly stolen from a couple in the Mumbai-Chennai Express a few days ago after they consumed curd laced with some chemical substances that left them unconscious. The victims have lodged a complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Chennai Central.
Sources with the GRP said the couple, Gopalan (62) and Geetha (53), from Mumbai had boarded the train to Chennai on September 23 to attend a birthday party of their grandchild here. “They were travelling in an AC three tier compartment. A man who got into their compartment at the Gulbarga station the next day became friendly with the couple,” a senior police officer. The man managed to convince them to purchase curd at the Guntakal station stating that it was of good quality there. As recommended by him, the couple bought curd at the station on September 24 night. The man helped them buy the curd and the couple suspect that he would have laced it with some chemical. They consumed the curd and fell unconscious, the officer said. The couple gained consciousness in the early hours of September 25 when the train reached Chennai Central. A total of 21 sovereigns of jewellery Geetha was wearing and 4.5 sovereigns from Gopalan were reported missing. The victims went to a private hospital in the city for treatment and returned to Chennai Central to lodge a complaint. The case has been transferred to the Andhra Pradesh railway police as the incident took place at Guntakal station limits, sources added.
