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Loot by snake charmers: Cops searching for accused at Shankargarh Sapera Basti
Sapera Basti is a settlement of snake charmers, and the police suspect that the accused may be hiding there.
After a looting incident with passengers on board the Danapur-Pune Express, by snake charmers near Ghoorpur on Monday, the railway police force (RPF) officials suspect that the accused may belong to Sapera Basti in the Shankargarh area.
Sapera Basti is a settlement of snake charmers, and the police suspect that the accused may be hiding there.
The locals said there is a large settlement of snake charmers at Kapari village and another at Lohgara.
Snake charmers often display their snakes on passing trains to earn money. They board the trains from the outer railway stations from Naini to Shankargarh and demand cash from passengers while showing snakes that are usually non-venomous. The passengers often refuse to give money to them but this is the first time that a cash-snatching incident with passengers has been reported, they added.
Meanwhile, RPF and government railway police (GRP) have launched a search operation for the snake charmers involved in the crime.
A GRP official said that primary investigations revealed that three snake charmers were from Sapera Basti while one was from Lohgara. All of them are relatives, the official added.
It is worth noting that a group of snake charmers at Chheoki railway station grabbed onto the doors of the general coach and asked the passengers to open them when the train started moving and the passengers let them in. The train was between Iradatganj and Jasra when the accused started threatening passengers. When passengers refused to hand over cash, the snake charmers even wrapped snakes around their necks.
They looted cash from around a dozen passengers and created a ruckus in the coach for approximately 25 minutes. The accused then pulled the chain and jumped off the train.
RPF inspector at Chheoki railway station Abhay Shankar said a passenger Mohd Shahid of Ghazipur filed a complaint with the railway officials through the helpline number. The complainant was approached at Satna and Jabalpur railway stations but he refused to give a written complaint. However, a search is on for snake charmers involved in the incident, he added.
