A woman and her daughter were crushed to death on the railway track near Mathura early on Saturday after they fell from the Trivandrum Express while chasing a thief who stole one of their bags, the police said.
According to Jogender Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Railways, Agra region, Meena Devi, 45, and Manisha, 21, who hail from Durgapur, West Bengal, jumped out of the moving train when they discovered that a thief had robbed them of their bag which had cash, ATM and identity cards. While the thief escaped, the mother and daughter were crushed by the Sampark Kranti Express that was passing on the adjacent track.
“The incident happened in S2 coach near Vrindavan city station and it seems the thief pulled the chain before jumping off the train. Meena was found dead on the spot while Manisha died during treatment at Sau Shaiyya hospital in Vrindavan.”
Meena’s son Akash, 23, slept through the incident and was woken up by fellow passengers. “Akash told us that the family had boarded the train at Hazrat Nizamuddin. They were going to Kota to get Manisha admitted for medical coaching. He also told us that the bag that has been stolen had around ₹4000, two mobile phones, and some crucial documents,” said Mr. Kumar.
Interim relief
After post-mortem, the bodies have been sent to Bardhaman through the Sealdah Express. The Railways have given an interim relief of ₹35,000 to Akash.
The SP has transferred inspector Rajesh Kumar Dubey, the GRP in-charge of Mathura station, to Police Lines and a departmental inquiry has been ordered for dereliction of duty.
Local reports suggest that the thief was not alone and his accomplices tried to rob other passengers on the train as well. “It seems the robbers boarded the train at Hazrat Nizamuddin station itself. We have formed two teams to investigate the matter and the culprits will be arrested soon,” said Mr. Kumar.
