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Robbers tamper with signal to halt Mahalaxmi Exp, snatch mangalsutras of 2 women
During the halt, railway staff learnt that the signal had been tampered with and two to three unidentified persons had allegedly snatched jewellery from passengers
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In a planned robbery, two unidentified persons allegedly tampered with a railway signal by cutting its wire to halt the Mahalaxmi Express between Lonand and Salpa railway stations in Satara district early on Sunday. The robbers then snatched mangalsutras from two women passengers through the window of the S1 coach before fleeing.
The incident took place around 2:30 am, when the Mumbai CSMT-Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Express stopped for around 10-12 minutes after crossing Lonand station. Following standard procedure, Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel got down from the train, blew whistles and used torches to check the surroundings.
During the halt, railway staff learnt that the signal had been tampered with and two to three unidentified persons had allegedly snatched jewellery from passengers. The RPF and Government Railway Police (GRP) control rooms were immediately alerted. GRP personnel at Satara railway station confirmed from the train that two women lost their mangalsutras.
A snatching case was registered at Miraj Railway police station, while a separate case related to signal tampering was registered by the RPF at Satara under the Railways Act.
During investigation, police found that the accused had cut the signal wire using a hex blade, which was recovered from the spot.
Vishal Gaikwad, Additional Superintendent of Police (Pune Railway Police), said, “Police are examining mobile phone dump data from the area and questioning farmers living nearby. CCTV cameras are not available around the crime scene, making the investigation challenging.”
Sitaram Phand, police inspector at Miraj Police Station, said, “We have formed many teams and search of the accused is going on.”
