The Hindu : 3 passengers fall prey to `biscuit bandits'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 23, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

3 passengers fall prey to `biscuit bandits'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Sept. 22 . With three more passengers falling victim to `biscuit bandits' on Saturday night, there seemed to be no let-up in their operations despite repeated warnings to passengers by the railway administration and police against accepting eatables offered by strangers and fellow passengers.

All three victims, who arrived in Chennai by the Howrah Mail today, were travelling in a sleeper class compartment and were reported to have lost their jewellery and cash.

According to one of the victims, Saratha Raghunath (44), who is undergoing treatment in a private hospital here, the thieves posing as passengers boarded the train along with them at Howrah and occupied the same bay. The four gang members spoke fluently in Bengali. When the train reached Vijayawada, they offered to get the other passengers food from the station. The food packets handed over to them appeared to be intact. But within a few minutes of consuming the food, she became unconscious and regained her consciousness partially at the Central station when porters and the RPF personnel made attempts to get her to alight from the compartment.

She was later admitted to the Government General Hospital, where she managed to inform the police personnel the phone number of her relative. Later with her relatives' help she got herself admitted to a private hospital. She lost Rs. 8,000 cash and five sovereigns of jewellery.

The others, Debendra Das and Saraswathi, were on their way to Vellore for medical treatment. Still in an unconscious state, they are undergoing treatment at the GH.

In the current year itself, this was the third incident of thieves using spiked food to rob passengers.

In the earlier incidents, a couple and a son, who were on their way to Chennai by the Howrah-Chennai Egmore Express, were duped in June while three passengers of the Howrah-Trivandrum Express were deprived of their belongings in July.

Investigation showed that the gang members belonged to West Bengal and they were carrying out their operations after the train reached Vijayawada. According to the victims, they took the eatables at Vijayawada and became unconscious subsequently.

At a recent coordination meeting organised by the Southern Railway, the General Manager, V. Anand, directed the railway police and the RPF to intensify their vigil between Vijayawada and Chennai. Railway police sources here said it was possible for the Andhra Pradesh police to nab the gang, as members got down at Vijayawada and nearby stations. They said local police tried to avoid registering cases saying that the incidents occurred at Vijayawada. Even if they registered cases, they were later transferred to the Andhra Pradesh police for further investigation. After that, nothing was heard from them.

There should be coordinated action by the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh police along with the RPF, they said.

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