The Crime Prevention and Detection Squad of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) from Kozhikode has apprehended two of a six-member gang of teenage robbers from Karnataka who used to target passengers who travel alone by train between Mangaluru and Palakkad. The two were taken into custody from Pattambi station.
An RPF squad member said the operation of the gang was reported by a passenger who was robbed at knife point by the two recently while getting down from a train at Pattambi station.
The squad that reached the spot from Kozhikode managed to track the two and recover a knife and a stolen gold bangle from them, he said.
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Of the six members, two had already been arrested and remanded in judicial custody in connection with a similar robbery that took place in another train last week. The six were suspected of having a role in another theft in which a passenger lost gold ornaments worth ₹2.57 lakh.
The two were handed over to the Government Railway police squad for further investigation. In the wake of the fresh incident, RPF officials cautioned the passengers to be vigilant against suspected gangs in trains and adopt personal safety measures. The RPF helpline 182 should be used in emergency times for help, they said.