Latest news with #RailwayPolice
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
PR grapples with spiralling thefts
Theft incidents in Pakistan Railways have reached alarming levels, with moving trains, stationary carriages and even sophisticated computer-based signaling systems falling prey to criminals, insiders revealed on Wednesday. Despite lofty claims by the new railways minister, both the Railway Police and the administrative machinery appear to be in a deep slumber, unable to contain the growing wave of crimes potentially paralyzing railway operations. The sources said that the state of affairs continues to deteriorate as investigations reveal that not only were passengers being drugged and robbed aboard moving trains, but specialised copper wiring and other key assets were being stolen mid-journey. "PR transports nearly 50 million passengers each year and carries thousands of tons of freight from Karachi to remote parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, security measures across the network are severely lacking," they said. Daily thefts of valuable materials from various trains, railway stations and installations, including Lahore, have become disturbingly routine. Just last week, valuable cargo was reported stolen from loaded wagons parked at the Pattoki station. The 56 wagons had been en route from Karachi to Lahore and were stationary at Pattoki for a few hours when thieves struck. As a result, the wagons, stripped of their equipment, were rendered non-operational and had to be filled with replacement materials before being dispatched again. Similarly, at the old railway shed, key components such as power leads and jacks were stolen. Moreover, the computer-based interlocking system was not spared, with thieves digging underground to extract its crucial parts. In another incident, electrical wires from the old diesel shed were stolen. PR sources said the situation was dire, warning that repeated and increasing thefts of underground CBI components pose a serious threat to the integrity of the system. They further cautioned that maintaining the infrastructure has become exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, due to the breaches. Meanwhile, in light of the deteriorating situation, railway authorities have urgently called upon the Railway Police to implement immediate and strict measures to safeguard this critical infrastructure. In a bid to address the crisis, Inspector General of Railways Police Rao Tahir convened an emergency meeting to discuss strategies for curbing material theft. During the session, the issue of timely uniform distribution and budget allocations was also discussed. The IG instructed all SPs to focus specifically on preventing thefts of railway materials, especially signal equipment, which has been repeatedly targeted.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
The Intifada Is Already Globalized. Its Victims Must Unite
In Colorado on Sunday, a man shouting, "Free Palestine!" attacked a Jewish gathering and set elderly victims on fire. Eleven days earlier, another man shouting, "Free Palestine!" executed a young couple in cold blood as they were leaving a Jewish event in Washington, D.C. Americans are asking: Does this mean the slogan "Globalize the Intifada" is coming true? Our answer: "Globalize the Intifada" has long since come true. And now it's coming to America. The world often associates the Intifada with the Israel-Palestine conflict. But the same ideology also targets Hindus, Nigerian Christians, other Africans, Yazidis, Druze Arabs, Alawite and Ahmadiyya Muslims, Kurds, Copts, Maronites, Assyrians, Amazigh, Iranians, Sikhs, Samaritans, Baha'is, Armenians, and so many others. And that ideology is gaining a disturbing level of influence in Western societies. Railway Police officers stand in formation on a platform during a security drill at Srinagar railway station, India, on June 4, 2025. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Jammu in early June... Railway Police officers stand in formation on a platform during a security drill at Srinagar railway station, India, on June 4, 2025. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Jammu in early June to inaugurate the first Vande Bharat train service from Katra to Kashmir, a route that passes through the world's highest Chenab Bridge and connects the region to New Delhi for the first time. The visit follows Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, in response to a deadly attack in Pahalgam that killed tourists. More BASIT ZARGAR/Middle east images/AFP via Getty Images The victims of the Globalized Intifada are a natural coalition that's waiting to happen. And it will happen once we all realize how each of our conflicts is connected. The horrific massacre in India in April, where 24 Hindus and one Christian were murdered by Islamists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, gave many Jews flashbacks to Oct. 7, 2023. It wasn't just because of how cruelly the victims were slaughtered. It was because the immediate reaction in some quarters was to demonize the victims. Many pounced on the tragedy as an opportunity to vilify India for its policies in its Muslim-majority region of Kashmir. Former Al Jazeera journalist Sana Saeed characterized Kashmir as an "occupied" territory where India was "brutally repressing its Muslim population." Others accused India of committing "genocide" in Kashmir and engaging in "apartheid" and "settler-colonialism" there. Kashmir was characterized as an "open air prison" where Hindus were committing "land theft," giving Muslims the right to "resist." The anti-India terrorists and their apologists clearly use the same propaganda playbook as their ideological brethren in Hamas. They make the same accusations to justify atrocities against innocent civilians—Globalize the Intifada, indeed. Terrorist narratives aside, Hindus in Kashmir—like Jews in Israel—have a continuous history that dates back thousands of years. Kashmir became majority Muslim through invasions, forced conversions, persecution, and periodic expulsions. Most of the remaining Kashmiri Hindus, primarily from the scholarly Pandit community, fled after a wave of religious attacks in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Islamists gave Hindus an ultimatum to "convert, leave, or die." One of the many Hindus killed during that period was Girija Tickoo, a teacher who was gang raped by terrorists. When they were finished with her, they cut her in half with a mechanical saw while she was still alive. While the Pahalgam massacre triggered Jews with flashbacks to October 7, October 7, in turn, triggered Hindus with flashbacks to the sadistic butchery in Kashmir over three decades ago. Same ideology, same playbook. Pahalgam also triggered flashbacks in Kenya. Victims in Pahalgam were asked to recite the Islamic declaration of faith. If they couldn't, they were executed on the spot. The Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab used the same method to identify non-Muslims to kill during a series of terrorist attacks in Kenya. These included a shopping mall siege in 2013 that killed over 60, a bus hijacking in 2014 that killed 28, and a 2015 college massacre where 148 people—predominantly Christian students—were killed. Same ideology, same playbook. And so it goes, all around the world, conflict after conflict linked by a shared ideology. What the communities under attack share is that their plight is mostly unknown to the outside world. You could call them the "Coalition of the Ignored." Jews, both in Israel and in the diaspora, are the outlier. They are constantly getting attention throughout the world, most of it negative. Since the October 7 attacks, Jews have been buried under an avalanche of propaganda. This has really driven home to Jews how outnumbered they are. As long as the world remains fixated on the Jews and Israel, Islamists and their allies can use their overwhelming numbers (and, yes, their financial superiority) to flood the zone with demonizing propaganda and portray themselves as the good guys. Meanwhile, the members of the Coalition of the Ignored are each left to struggle in isolation and obscurity. Jews have the world's attention but not the numbers. The Coalition of the Ignored has the numbers but not the world's attention. The solution is for us all to come together, to amplify one another's stories, and to lend our support to one another with our voices, numbers, and moral authority. We must form a Coalition Against Terror. Not against any culture or faith. But against an ideology that seeks dominance by intentionally targeting non-combatants with violence. It's time for every community struggling against this ideology to unite. We are the ones who must resist. The survival of our civilizations depends on it. David Cohen is an attorney who served as head of the Office of Insular Affairs and deputy assistant secretary of the Interior during the Bush administration. Avatans Kumar is a linguist and a recipient of the California News Publishers Association and San Francisco Press Club's journalism awards. The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.
NDTV
4 days ago
- NDTV
Doctor's Handbag Robbed On Train, Husband Loses Arm Trying To Save Her
Mumbai: A 50-year-old Mumbai-based doctor lost a part of his arm after he and his wife fell on the railway tracks during a robbery on a moving train. Yogesh Deshmukh, 50, and his wife Deepali Deshmukh, 44, both doctors, were travelling with their nine-year-old daughter in the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla)-Nanded Express on Wednesday. The robbery occurred between Kanjunmarg and Bhandup. Just 15 minutes after the train had left Kurla terminus, a robber tried to snatch Ms Deshmukh's handbag. She resisted. As she held on to her handbag, the robber dragged her along till the gate of the coach. Her husband, who was sleeping on the upper berth, rushed to her rescue. Trying to save her, both fell on the tracks. Ms Deshmukh suffered bruises while a part of her husband's arm was crushed under the train. By that time, the train had slowed, and the robber had jumped off with the handbag. No railway security personnel were present during the incident. Ms Deshmukh told the police that she and her husband tried to contact the police helpline but were not aware of their location. A tempo driver noticed them asking for help and took them to a private hospital. The couple's minor daughter was safely disembarked at Kalyan, and the authorities were informed about the incident. Railway Police have registered a case against unidentified robbers and are going through CCTV footage to identify the suspect.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- The Hindu
Man held for stealing from passengers in Kacheguda Railway Station
The Railway Police at Kacheguda caught a man with a bag full of stolen gadgets. The arrest led to the recovery of 13 mobile phones, a laptop, an iPad and other electronic goods, all valued at ₹2.7 lakh. Navaneeth Sharma, 32, hails from Haryana but had been staying at a dormitory inside Imlibun Bus Station, said an officer from the Railway Police. 'He was spotted loitering suspiciously on platform number 1 during a surprise anti-theft check carried out at 2 p.m. on Sunday. When questioned, he confessed to stealing a passenger's bag in the A1 coach of the Andhra Pradesh Sampark Kranti Express while others were asleep,' said the officer. Digging deeper, the police learnt that Sharma had lifted another dozen phones from various wine shops, bus stops, and railway stations across the city. Officers then raided his dormitory at Imlibun and recovered his collection of stolen mobile phones.
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Woman stuffed in suitcase and 'thrown from train' as commuter makes grim find
A lifeless body was found stuffed inside a suitcase near a railway bridge in Chandapura, India, and police believe the luggage was thrown from a fast-moving train The body of a woman was found stuffed inside a suitcase near a railway bridge yesterday. The suitcase was thrown from a moving train, police believe, before it was found by a commuter. The lifeless body was the only thing inside the suitcase, making it difficult to identify the victim. Police originally believed the body could be a 10-year-old girl, but it's since been claimed the body might belong to a woman aged at least 18. After attending the scene at the Chandapura railway bridge in Bengalaru, India, Surya City police continued to try and identify the victim and piece together the grim details surrounding her death. Bengaluru Rural SP C K Baba said: 'We are currently investigating the case. It seems that someone may have thrown the suitcase from the railway property, most likely from a moving train. "Normally, such cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Railway Police, but since it is likely related to our jurisdiction, we are registering a case. The body was found inside the suitcase and there was nothing else in it, no identity card or any other items. "The person appears to be 18 years of age or older, but we are yet to establish the identity. That is all we have at this stage. It seems that the incident took place elsewhere and the suitcase was thrown from a moving train. We will take up the case and investigate further." Meanwhile, earlier this year a 29-year-old mum was found dismembered in a suitcase. Horrific CCTV images showed a man pushing the luggage, which contained Uswatun Khasanah's head, legs, and torso. Investigators have revealed that the crime was premeditated by the victim's estranged husband, 33-year-old Rochmat Tri Hartanto, who admitted that he murdered the young beautician. He confessed to killing the mum-of-two out of "resentment" at the way she treated him, claiming that she had only come to see him because she wanted to borrow money. The perpetrator reportedly prepared one million Indonesian Rupiahs (£52) to lure the victim to a hotel before committing the crime. Authorities noted that the victim's body parts were discarded in multiple locations to hinder identification after he was forced to cut up the body so it would fit in the suitcase. Also, just last month a UK scientist's body was found in a suitcase in Colombia. Alessandro Coatti's dismembered body was found in a suitcase dumped in a stream in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta. Police are said to have found only his head, hands and feet and are said to be still searching for his torso and other parts of his body.
