Passengers robbed of valuables, cash on moving train

Mumbai: Another robbery that took place today will make passengers think twice before traveling by trains.

Passengers traveling inside A1 and A2 coaches of Rajkot Express were looted of their valuables and cash in the early morning hours.

Vijaya Lakshmi was traveling to Ahmedabad for a conference, while Nirmala Rocha Ramani was on the upper berth of their coach. There was another group of people who were attending a wedding at Surat. All of them were in slumber as the train was running smoothly.

Passengers filing police complaint

However, around 6 am, at least three robbers looted these passengers inside A1 coach, thankfully not harming anyone. They lost jewellery worth Rs 15 lakh, cash amounting to Rs 10,500 and their expensive mobile phone sets. The group however manhandled their fellow passenger Narayana who was also forced to handover his wallet.

"They almost strangled me, took my wallet and jumped out of the moving train," said Narayana. All this happened after Vasai station even as the door of the coach was locked from inside.

Vijayalakshmi who boarded the train from Secunderabad grieves about her loss. "We saw railway security personnel roaming inside the coaches from Wadi to Sholapur. However, later we didn't find any. We reserved tickets in AC coaches as we feel safe but now I shall think twice before traveling by trains" said Vijayalakshmi, who is a social worker.

The 69-year-old senior citizen, Nirmala Ramani who shared the berth with Vijayalakshmi, lost her purse and mobile phone while other passengers realized that they too had lost their baggage and luggage. The passengers later lodged a complaint with Vapi police station.

"The attendant shut the doors after Kalyan and went to sleep. It's a mystery how those three men got on the train. And also the emergency numbers that are mentioned on entry/exit doors were useless as none of them were answered," added Vijayalakshmi.