Police avert robbery in four trains

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, MARCH 25. The Government Railway Police last night averted robbery on at least four trains near Visakhapatnam.

Mr. J. Kanaka Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police (GRP), told reporters here on Sunday that alertness on the part of his force thwarted an attempt to rob trains between Visakhapatnam and Yellamanchili around 11 p.m.

Referring to the modus operandi of the robbers of pulling chains and smashing signals to halt trains and rob the passengers, he said an armed GRP team which was travelling by the Mumbai-bound Konark Express swung into action when the chain was pulled near Regupalem on the Vizag-Yellamanchili route.

Unfortunately for the robbers, according to him, the train did not stop in the wilderness but at the Regupalem railway station. The GRP team on getting down from the train found the home signals smashed, stopping four trains _ Faluknama, Howrah- Tirupati, Gauhati Express and Okha-Puri Express, which apparently had been targeted for robbery. Given the passenger traffic at Regupalem, the RPF team could not nab the gang.

Referring to the three recent robberies on trains, Mr. Kanaka Rao said the RPF now provided a team comprising an Inspector or Sub- Inspector along with four armed constables on 12 trains including the Godavari and Visakha Express trains and that it was ordered to shoot to kill for thwarting any robbery attempt. The RPF suspected that the gang could be from Stuartpuram or Orissa.

The modus operandi of the gang is to get into trains, survey passengers wearing gold ornaments and commit the robbery after pulling the chain near national highways. The robbery attempts were made after midnight and the gang after snatching jewellery from passengers would head for the highway to escape by any passing lorry.

Mr. G. Venkateswara Rao, Inspector, said passengers were being cautioned against robbery attempts on trains and were asked not to accept foodstuff from strangers.

Our Warangal Staff Reporter writes:

All night trains in the State have been provided with armed police parties in view of recent train robberies in the district.

Every train has been given four constables of the GRP armed with weapons and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) would soon join the security measures, said the Superintendent of Railway Police, Secunderabad, Mr. M. Srinivasulu.

Mr. Srinivasulu told newsmen here on Sunday that a total of 11 trains pass through Kazipet and Warangal at nights and all of them have been given police parties till the daybreak. The decision to send armed police parties in trains was also taken in view of the probability of higher snatching cases being reported in trains during summer as there would be a tendency among passengers to keep the windows open.

The SP said some suspects were taken into custody for interrogation for train robberies in Warangal.

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