8 more GRP personnel transferred over extortion allegations

An inquiry has been initiated against these eight personnel for extortion charges, said a GRP officer

MUMBAI: Eight police personnel from various stations of the Government Railway Police (GRP) were transferred to the head office in Ghatkopar on Tuesday for allegedly being a part of an extortion racket that targeted long-distance train passengers and extorted cash and valuables from them. An inquiry has been initiated against these eight personnel for extortion charges, said a GRP officer.

8 more GRP personnel transferred over extortion allegations

GRP Commissioner Rakesh Kalasagar has taken action in the wake of recent incidents of alleged extortion by GRP personnel at various stations, targeting long-distance train passengers in Mumbai.

Among the eight transferred is head constable Sujata Gaikwad, being transferred from Borivali station, and another personnel is the sister of assistant police sub-inspector Vijaya Ingavale, who has been suspended and arrested in the Bandra railway terminus extortion case.

Kalasagar said that considering multiple complaints from the passengers, they have taken the issue seriously and are trying to get rid of the racket to regain public trust.

In the last five months, 13 personnel from the Government Railway Police have been suspended, including a senior inspector, for allegedly being a part of an extortion racket and extorting money from passengers, officials said. On September 5, eight GRP personnel were transferred from Vasai, Borivali, Andheri, and Bandra to the Ghatkopar GRP headquarters.

According to passengers, the GRP police personnel, in nexus with the robbers, have been targeting long-distance train passengers, who often carry valuables and are less likely to report the incident. Their modus operandi was to threaten the passengers of arresting them and take them to a dimly lit room in the railway station, where there were no CCTV cameras, and then coerce them to give away their jewellery, cash and any other valuables, said a GRP officer.

The victims were asked to meet a senior officer and taken to the GRP premises on platforms where there were no CCTV cameras. The passengers were then told to prove the cash or jewellery actually belonged to them, the officer said.

Later, the passengers were threatened that their valuables would be seized and they might face legal action. In some cases, they were also assaulted, he said, adding that the only way out for the victims was to pay money to those personnel, he added.