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Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Railway police arrest gang robbing passengers on trains
Kochi: In a major relief to rail passengers, a six-member gang involved in robbing passengers was arrested on Monday. The gang, which used to steal mobile phones from passengers, was arrested by a joint task force of railway protection force, railway police and Aluva police. The accused were identified as Siraj M, 26, Joswin Eldow, 18, Ashiq K A, 21, Muhammad Fazal, 18, and Sheffin, 18. The accused used to hit passengers who were near the door or sitting adjacent to windows with a long stick, usually on their arms, so that phones would fall from their hands. The gang is also suspected to be behind the robbery of an iPhone from a passenger aboard Malabar Express near Aluva railway station on Sunday. In this case, the gang hit the passenger who was sitting on the footboard by the door with a stick when the train was leaving the station. He fell from the train and injured his hand. The passenger, who was headed to Shoranur, fought the gang still. However, the accused overpowered him and stole his phone and earphones. The phone was recovered from a shop where the gang sold it. Police said the accused were into substance abuse and used the money to procure narcotics. According to police, they used to target trains bound for north India, hoping that passengers wouldn't complain. Railway police sources said they copied the modus operandi used by gangs in north India to attack passengers sitting or standing near open doors on slow-moving trains. Although the intention is to strike the hand of the targeted passengers, it could prove fatal as passengers can easily fall. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Six arrested for robbing mobile phones from train passengers
Six persons, including a minor, allegedly involved in robbing mobile phones of passengers aboard moving trains were arrested by a joint squad of the Railway Protection Force, Railway Police, and the Aluva police here on Monday. The arrested are Siraj M., 26, Joswin Eldow, 18, Ashiq K. A., 21, Muhammad Fazal, 18, and Sheffin, 18. Allegedly, they were also behind the alleged theft of an iPhone from a passenger aboard Malabar Express near the Aluva railway station on Sunday. As the train was chugging along a bridge shortly after leaving the station, the gang allegedly hit the passenger who was sitting on the footboard by the door with a long pole. Despite falling to the ground and injuring his hand, the passenger, identified as Suhail Shanavas, who was headed to Shoranur, reportedly fought the gang. But he was overpowered, and the phone worth around ₹75,000, a pair of wireless earbuds worth around ₹1,500, and ₹700 were allegedly robbed. The phone and other booties were recovered from the accused. 'The accused were substance abusers and were into robbery to finance their addiction. They normally targeted trains bound for north India convinced that passengers in transit were very unlikely to complain. They usually operated in the area near the Aluva railway station and targeted trains headed in the northern direction,' said Muhammad Haneef, RPF Security Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram. It was the same point where the passenger was allegedly attacked on Sunday. Incidentally, they also reportedly followed the same modus operandi with which they attacked the passenger. They targeted passengers sitting or standing near open doors on slow-moving trains just after leaving the station. They strike the hands of the targeted passengers to dispossess them of their phones. 'They copied this modus operandi from north Indian gangs. However, it could even prove fatal at times as passengers could very easily fall on the tracks. The passenger who was attacked the other day was lucky to escape,' said Mr. Haneef.
