The Government Railway Police (GRP) have constituted a special investigation team to probe the recent theft in two trains in which passengers complained of losing around 30 sovereigns of gold ornaments, cash to the tune of ₹22,000, and diamond jewellery.
Surveillance camera visuals from various railway stations and suspected spots have already been collected for close examination by the squad.
According to the GRP squad, two separate gangs are reportedly behind the thefts, which took place in the Chennai-Mangaluru Superfast Express and the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Malabar Express on February 8. “The robbers are suspected of following the passengers from the railway station itself, and the surveillance cameras are likely to give us concrete evidence to track the suspects,” the squad said.
In the first incident that took place in the Chennai-Mangaluru Superfast Express, the complainant, Ponnu Maran, had lost gold ornaments and diamonds worth ₹15 lakh. She had reportedly carried around 22 sovereigns of gold ornaments, cash worth ₹22,000, and diamond jewellery in a handbag. According to the police, the woman who boarded the train from Chennai came to know about the theft only when the train reached the Tirur station.
In the second incident, the complainant, Praveena Premanand, had lost 9.5 sovereigns of gold ornaments, including a chain, bangles, and ear rings, which she had kept inside her hand bag. She was travelling by the Malabar Express from Angamaly to Kanhangad. According to the GRP, the woman claimed a loss of around ₹3 lakh in the incident.
A GRP official said examination of CCTV visuals collected from various spots was a tough task, but it could be completed in time with the support of the cyber police. The support of the Tamil Nadu Police too will be sought to list frequent offenders, they said.
