In the coming months, MRTS and suburban railway stations falling under Chennai division will come under CCTV camera cover. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) will be installing a total of 564 cameras in stations for the prevention and detection of crime.
There are around 161 stations falling under the Chennai division, including stations up to Villupuram, Jolarpet, Renigunta and Gudur. “Out of this, 136 stations will be getting the cameras. Already a few stations such as Chennai Central, Egmore, Tambaram, Mambalam and Beach stations are under CCTV camera surveillance,” said an RPF officer.
The work on having private security manning MRTS stations is also underway. “We want to ensure that the stations are safe,” the officer said, on the sidelines of a property recovery display organised by the Government Railway Police in the city on Wednesday.
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A total of 233 petitioners took part in the event. Close to ₹1.5 crore worth jewellery and electronic gadgets stolen from passengers travelling in trains during 2018-2019 were recovered by the GRP and RPF and handed over to owners.
A total of 257 sovereigns of gold ornaments, 336 mobile phones, 10 laptops and nearly ₹2 lakh in cash were recovered. As many as 156 persons were arrested in connection with the theft cases.
V. Vanitha, IG, GRP, said the police have been creating awareness about travelling safely in trains. “Our personnel monitor the movement of criminals continuously. We have our own cyber cell that helps in tracking stolen cell phones,” she said.
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