Bihar man held for 2 train murders, probe into other killings underway: Cop

Tiwari was arrested from the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border by a special team led by Danapur Railway DSP Kanchan Raj

The Government Railway Police (GRP) arrested Rohit Tiwari, a native of Bhojpur in Bihar, on Wednesday for allegedly killing two passengers in separate incidents involving moving trains on the Ara-DDU railway section, a senior police officer said.

According to police, Tiwari used to target minors, labourers and drug-addicted passengers travelling in the disabled compartment of trains, posing as an STF or RPF personnel. (File Photo/ Representational)

Tiwari was arrested from the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border by a special team led by Danapur Railway DSP Kanchan Raj. Police are also investigating his possible role in other murders after he allegedly made contradictory statements during his initial interrogation.

According to police, Tiwari used to target minors, labourers and drug-addicted passengers travelling in the disabled compartment of trains, posing as an STF or RPF personnel. He allegedly demanded money from passengers on the pretext of checking tickets or imposing fines for smoking on trains, and assaulted those who refused to pay.

The arrest follows the alleged murder of Nitin Kumar, 21, a migrant labourer travelling on train 07091 Special from Telangana on September 19, and the death of Kailash Kumar, who was found dead on the railway tracks near Neora Halt between Bihta and Danapur railway stations on September 9. Nitin’s body was found with his hands tied with ropes, police said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Tiwari allegedly killed Nitin on September 19 after a scuffle with him over his refusal to pay a ‘fine’. Police said Nitin, a resident of Vaishali, was travelling in the compartment meant for persons with disabilities when he was accosted by Tiwari, who was allegedly posing as an RPF personnel. Tiwari allegedly demanded money from labourers and underage passengers on the pretext of imposing fines for smoking inside the train.

When some passengers refused to pay, Tiwari allegedly assaulted them and threw Nitin from the moving train between Ara and Jagjivan Halt. Police recovered Nitin’s body, but his family was initially unaware of his death. Tiwari allegedly contacted the family using Nitin’s mobile phone and demanded ₹17,000, claiming that Nitin had been arrested for smoking on the train and that the money was required to release him. He also allegedly threatened to send Nitin to jail.

“The family gave ₹17,000 in separate instalments through online transfers, but even after this, Nitin did not reach home. His father, Sriraj Kumar Rai, registered an FIR with the Buxar GRP on charges of abduction,” a police officer said, adding that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was promptly formed on the directive of the ADG (Rail) to crack the case.

Investigators also found evidence allegedly linking Tiwari to a similar unsolved murder and a murderous attack involving railway passengers on September 9 between Danapur and Bihta railway stations. One of the passengers was identified as Kailash Kumar. Police said Kailash’s hands and feet were tied with rope and he was found dead near the railway track, while his friend Ritesh Kumar was injured.

The SIT found that the two incidents had an identical modus operandi, with the assailant allegedly targeting vulnerable individuals, demanding money and attacking them when they resisted.

“On September 9, at Buxar railway station, Rohit Tiwari posed as an STF personnel and targeted two passengers, including Kailash and his friend Ritesh, and forced them to board the disabled compartment of a passenger train. As soon as the train left Ara railway station, Rohit asked them to show their journey tickets. When they were unable to produce the tickets, he demanded money from them. On their resistance, Rohit allegedly threw Kailash and Ritesh from the moving train. Investigation has revealed this,” DSP Kanchan said.

Ritesh is undergoing treatment at LNJP Hospital. Kanchan said Ritesh identified the accused.

According to police, Tiwari did not have a permanent address and used to stay at different railway stations and hotels after the incidents.

Police said Tiwari had earlier been arrested in 2024 on charges of throwing two passengers from a moving train. Both passengers survived, and Tiwari was released on bail about two months ago.

According to police, financial gain was the primary motive behind the alleged murders. In the recent incident, the accused allegedly fled with Nitin’s debit card, ATM cards, PAN card, voter ID card and disability card.

The breakthrough in the case came after investigators analysed CCTV footage, which led them to suspect Tiwari’s involvement in a series of similar incidents. CCTV footage from railway stations showed a man loitering near the disabled compartment for a long time. ADG (Rail) Kamal Kishore Singh told HT that Nitin’s body was recovered from the Ara-Jagjivan Halt railway section after Tiwari’s disclosure.

The ADG said Tiwari had a history of targeting passengers after selecting them. “I directed the rail SP/DSP to investigate the matter, collect evidence as well as examine his past history and file the chargesheet within the stipulated period. The accused has a criminal history and is an accused in cases registered with Shahpur police station, Buxar GRP and Danapur GRP,” he said.

Nitin’s father, Mukesh Rai, said his son had been working in Hyderabad for several years and used to help the family with his earnings. He had returned to the village about three months ago and then went back to Hyderabad for work. He boarded a special train from Hyderabad to Danapur on September 19 to return home and build a house.

During the journey, Nitin used to call his family members and inform them about his route. He called the family from Buxar and told them that he had reached there. His father said that on September 20, at around 8 pm, Nitin called his relative Raja Yadav after the train had left Buxar at around 10 pm and informed him that RPF personnel had caught him while he was smoking a cigarette and had demanded a fine to release him.

The family members asked Nitin to settle the matter by paying ₹200-400. The phone was switched off after that. After some time, Mukesh received a call from Nitin’s mobile phone. The caller identified himself as an RPF jawan and said that if the money was not paid, Nitin would be sent to jail.