Ludhiana: 7 railways staffers among 9 held for stealing power cables

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested nine people, including seven railway employees, on Tuesday for allegedly stealing electric cables worth ₹6.2 lakh from the Ludhiana Railway Station

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested nine people, including seven railway employees, on Tuesday for allegedly stealing electric cables worth ₹6.2 lakh from the Ludhiana Railway Station.

The accused were involved in secretly stealing wires from the storeroom of the electrical department of the station since 2021, RPF officials said.

The accused were involved in secretly stealing wires from the storeroom of the electrical department of the station since 2021, RPF officials said.

Seven of the accused were working as linemen and helpers in the electrical department and six were regular employees. The other two accused bought the stolen wires from them and were involved in the scrap business.

An RPF official, requesting anonymity, said, “We had received information regarding theft of railway property from staff members. One of the railway employees was caught red-handed and told police the names of the other accused.”

A senior RPF official said they are conducting investigation on when the last audit at the storeroom was conducted and whether there is a lack of supervision on part of senior officials of the department. He added that the group used the gate which faces the road to smuggle the stolen goods.

Despite repeated attempts, RPF officials did not reveal the names of the arrested persons.

An FIR under Section 3 of the Railway Property Act (unlawful possession) has been lodged at the RPF police station in Ludhiana. The accused were produced in court on Tuesday and sent to two days in police remand.