Special squad holds checks at rly stations

The Government Railway Police (GRP) have formed a special team to conduct routine checks at railway station premises. The team of 30 policemen is focusing on railway terminuses with high vehicular movement. Even traffic policemen have been roped in for the exercise.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) have formed a special team to conduct routine checks at railway station premises. The team of 30 policemen is focusing on railway terminuses with high vehicular movement. Even traffic policemen have been roped in for the exercise.

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The GRP officials had begun these operations on the Western Railway (WR) a few days ago. "Entry points at the railway terminus are equipped with metal detectors and baggage scanners but sometimes, suspicious activity inside station premises goes unnoticed. We will be able to overcome this lapse through such surprise checks," said B Shirsat, deputy commissioner of police, GRP (WR).

The team consists of a bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) along with sniffer dogs, trained commandos, constables of local GRP stations and traffic policemen. The drill begins with the team checking areas where private cars and taxis are parked in the premises. Police would confiscate any suspicious object found during these checks.

"This exercise has resulted in the removal of severalabandoned vehicles from the station premises, which could otherwise be used as potential carriers by terrorists," added Shirsat. The special team covers at least three stations each day.