Date:18/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/18/stories/2007111854270600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Biscuit gang strikes on train

Staff Reporter

Three passengers were drugged

Kakinada: Three railway passengers have been admitted to the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Kakinada after being reportedly drugged by two unidentified persons, on board Machilipatnam – Visakhapatnam fast passenger train in the wee hours of today.

A Lokesh, Y Subramanyam, S Raghavendra Rao and V Viswanadham boarded the train at Machilipatnam to visit the hill shrine of Annavaram in East Godavari district.

All of them belong to Challapalli in Krishna district. The miscreants also boarded the same general compartment at Machilipatnam. Three other passengers, D Sivaramakrishna, father Satyanarayana and Jayalakshmi, of Dulla village in West Godavari district boarded the same coach at Nidadavolu. In the early hours, the miscreants gave them biscuits said to contain some chemicals. All the passengers except Viswanadham consumed the biscuit. Lokesh, Subrahmanyam, Raghavendra Rao and Sivaramakrishna fell unconscious.

Others were feeling drowsy and could watch what was going on. The miscreants got down at Rajahmundry. The passengers who fell ill, were admitted to the government area hospital at Tuni and were later shifted to the GGH in Kakinada, where they are currently undergoing treatment. However, no theft was reported.

Tuni Government Railway Police are investigating.