Armed robbers struck in the air-conditioned and sleeper coaches of the Howrah-Delhi Lal Quila Express train in Bihar’s Jamui district very early on Friday morning and left 20 passengers injured as they looted cash and valuables worth about Rs 2.5 lakhs.
In what exposes the bizarre nature of the train escort service of the railway police, just four unarmed GRP policemen were escorting the entire train holding only lathis in their hands.
“These cops were easily overpowered by about 30 armed robbers, who fired at protesting passengers and beat up many of them during their hour-long looting,” said a senior police official. Railway officials, when contacted, had no answers on why the escorting policemen were equipped with only lathis.
Worse, while the four policemen managed to catch hold of two of four robbers who first boarded the train before the others of their gang got on at a later station, the police’s efforts to hand over the two robbers to a Government Railway Police station on the way was foiled by their colleagues.
“The staff at this Government Railway Police station did not come to take the two arrested robbers despite prior wireless information. The train started moving ahead and the two robbers were still in the escorting cops’ custody while the two other robbers had already fled,” said the official. The 30-strong gang, who shot at one GRP constable, got down at the Dewachak halt in Jamui district by pulling the emergency chain.
Of the 20 passengers injured, five, including three women, had suffered serious injuries, said sources. An FIR lodged by six passengers put the worth of robbed valuables at Rs 2.5 lakhs. East Central Railway (ECR) PRO Dilip Kumar said the injured passengers were given first-aid treatment at Kiul station in Lakhiserai district. “They had only minor injuries. They all travelled in the same train,” Mr Kumar told this newspaper, declining to answer questions on security arrangements on trains in Bihar.
“Raids are being conducted at various places to nab the robbers and recover the valuables they robbed from the train passengers,” said Lakhiserai SP Ashok Kumar Singh. However, no arrests had been made till late Friday evening.