The Government Railway Police on Thursday busted a gang from Haryana that travelled in AC coaches to rob passengers.
Following a tip-off, GRP personnel led by DSP Sivakumar boarded the Rock Fort Express at 4 a.m. at the Chengalpattu railway station. The policemen, in plainclothes, detained six robbers.
GRP officials identified the arrested as Rakesh Mahavir, 45, his son Deepak Kumar, 24, Jeowal, 35, Minnu, 26, Hansraj, 25, and Rajbir, 35, from Hisar district, Haryana. Over 75 sovereigns of gold jewellery was recovered from them.
During inquiry, the police found out that the accused booked tickets in AC coaches and stole the belongings of co-passengers. They operated across States.
They would spot the victims on the platforms. Once the journey began, the robbers would get into the identified coaches and after the victims fell asleep, they would open the bags or unlock the suitcases to steal valuables. At the next station, the looted items would be moved to the AC coach in which the other gang members travelled, police said.
Sometimes, they committed theft after diverting the attention of the passengers, said the police officer.
Recently, the gang had melted the jewellery and tried to sell it in Tirupati and Tiruchi. Only after this the GRP got the tip-off. “Travelling as passengers, our personnel were constantly watching the movement of the robbers for more than two days,” the officer said.
The gang was involved in major cases of theft in Sabari Express in 2016 and in Podhigai Express and Mysore Express last year. The seizure of reserved tickets revealed that they had planned to commit more robberies in a few other trains.
