In a joint operation, the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Telangana and A.P. conducted a raid in the Vijayawada railway station and arrested a five-member gang.
They recovered gold ornaments worth ₹60 lakh from their possession. The gang was wanted in about 12 cases that occurred in different trains in A.P. and Telangana, said GRP, Vijayawada Superintendent of Police (SP) K.V. Mohan Rao, at a press conference here on Monday. On a tip-off that the gang was travelling in a train, RPF personnel of Telangana and the GRP police arrested robbers — Rajendra Kumar alias Vivek Yadav, Anil Kumar alias Motu, Ramesh Kumar alias Titu, Sandeep alias Badal — natives of Haryana and Sunil Kumar alias Sanjay of North West Delhi.
Modus operandi
“The modus operandi of the gang is to travel in air-conditioned coaches in long journey trains as co-passengers. The robbers will observe the passengers and the luggage they carry and rob the valuables, when the victims were asleep, during night hours. Later, they will alight the train at some point. The accused can speak more than six languages,” Senior Divisional Security Commissioner S.R. Gandhi explained.
The Haryana gang has been committing offences for the last 15 years in moving trains, and were arrested by Mumbai, Surat and Visakhapatnam railway police earlier, Mr. Gandhi said. “The seizure, include gold chains, diamond studded rings and necklaces, ‘mangala sutrams’, ear studs, bracelets and other ornaments. The gang will change the booty into cash with some receivers in Delhi and Haryana. The accused would be produced in the Railway Court,” Mr. Mohan Rao said.
GRP Vijayawada Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) M. Sathi Babu, Rajahmundry DSP S. Manohara Rao, RPF inspectors B.S. Saraswat, G.V.R. Kumar, J.V.V.S.N. Raju (of Khammam) and other officers participated in the raid, Mr. Gandhi added.
“The gang committed robberies in trains under Rajahmundry, Ongole, Bhimavaram, Visakhapatnam, Gudivada, Secunderabad and Vijayawada stations’ limits. The gang was most wanted by Telangana railway police,” the GRP SP said.
