Three men from Bihar have been arrested for allegedly robbing passengers on trains by offering them sedative laced sweets and recovered seven stolen mobile phones and two bags from them, police said.
The arrests were made late Friday evening, four days after three special teams were formed to nab those involved in such incidents, which are expected to spike during the Holi season as a large number of migrants return to their native villages to celebrate the festival.
The Government Railway Police here arrested the culprits, identified as Santosh Shah, 35; Joginder Shah, 27; and Partosh, 22, and all natives of Bihar, who were mainly active between Amritsar to Ambala railway line, police said.
The accused mainly targeted the trains ferrying migrants to their hometowns during the Holi season.
They have been booked under Sections 328 (Causing hurt by means of poison) and 380 (Theft in dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Recently, the gang targeted six passengers who boarded the Amritsar-Darbhanga train and were robbed after being drugged during the journey on March 7. They were offered sweets by strangers near Jalandhar after which they fell unconscious near Ludhiana Railway Station.
{{/usCountry}}Recently, the gang targeted six passengers who boarded the Amritsar-Darbhanga train and were robbed after being drugged during the journey on March 7. They were offered sweets by strangers near Jalandhar after which they fell unconscious near Ludhiana Railway Station.
{{/usCountry}}According to police, one of the culprits, Partosh, who had a criminal record, was identified through CCTV footage gathered from Jalandhar station and from further investigation, the whereabouts of other two were traced.
The mastermind, Santosh, was also booked for theft on trains by GRP Ludhiana in 2018.
“It is a major relief for us as the gang had been targeting many on the trains. We are coordinating with Jalandhar GRP in this case,” said a GRP official here.
To avoid similar incidents, 10 GRP personnel along with RPF security men will remain vigilant in the trains and the railway station till Holi.
Recent incidents
Last month, two brothers were drugged and robbed of their belongings on Karmabhumi Express by a fellow passenger from whom they had accepted sweets. The incident came to light when the train reached Ambala railway station and the TTE found them unconscious.
In another case, a 37-year-old Ram Vilas was allegedly robbed near the Ludhiana Railway Station on February 25 after his drink was spiked by two unidentified men.