Extortion On The Rails: A Deep Look Into Mumbai's Railway Police Abuse Of Power

Mumbai: They patrol the platforms in crisp uniforms, entrusted with safeguarding millions of daily passengers at the railway stations. But behind this facade of authority lies a darker reality; some railway police personnel have turned from protectors to predators, extorting cash and valuables from unsuspecting commuters. Recent cases in Mumbai have pulled back the curtain on a practice that has allegedly thrived for years, unchecked and underreported.

About Few Cases

The first case occurred at Mumbai Central, where three police personnel allegedly extorted Rs 30,000 from a jeweller from Rajasthan after checking his bag.

In another case at Vasai, the railway police allegedly extorted Rs 5,000 from a male passenger as a penalty for merely standing and talking on the foot overbridge. Once the media reported these incidents, the authorities suspended the policemen involved. This is not the first time such incidents have been exposed.

In April 2016, a TV news channel broadcast shocking CCTV footage from Kurla Railway Terminus. On-duty railway police personnel were seen stopping passengers, searching their pockets, physically assaulting them, and extorting money. Complaints revealed that some passengers carrying money or gold were taken into rooms inside the railway premises that lacked CCTV coverage.

Inside these rooms, passengers were assaulted, threatened, and forced to pay money. A few police personnel deliberately avoided wearing nameplates to conceal their identities. Such incidents are common at major junctions, including CSMT, Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra Terminus, LTT Kurla Terminus, Borivali, Vasai, Thane, Kalyan, and Panvel, where long-distance trains halt. Passengers from other states are often soft targets.

Sometimes outsiders are also involved in such cases. The police ask the passenger to transfer money online, which is sent to a third person who is not part of the police force. Another person then collects the money from the account holder and hands it over to the concerned police personnel. To curb such misconduct, the then Commissioner of the Government Railway Police, Mumbai, Madhukar Pandey, issued strict guidelines in 2015 and again in 2022.

As per a circular dated June 25, 2015, all on-duty personnel must wear full uniforms with clearly visible nameplates. Baggage checks must be conducted only under CCTV surveillance. Extortion in any form was strictly prohibited. On-duty staff were required to sign a declaration acknowledging these guidelines. The circular dated January 11, 2022, stated that each baggage-check booth was to display the name of the police station, the railway helpline number (1512), and the control room contact number. Moreover, a register was to be maintained at every booth, recording the passenger’s full name, address, contact details, travel information, and a summary of inspections carried out.

Social Activist Samir Zaveri Urges Strict Implementation Of Preventive Measures

Social activist and train accident victim Samir Zaveri urged the strict implementation of preventive measures. He stated, “These recurring incidents should be treated as a wake-up call by the concerned authorities. We request the immediate installation of CCTV cameras with audio recording in all rooms used by railway police at stations, whether officially sanctioned or informally used. Many passengers carrying valuables are taken into non-monitored rooms, enabling misconduct. Second is to deploy body cameras for all on-duty railway police personnel to ensure accountability and restore public trust.”

The malpractice does not stop at luggage inspection. Victims allege that some policemen misuse mobile theft cases for extortion. Thieves would steal mobiles during journeys and sell them to shopkeepers or unsuspecting buyers. Once the buyers inserted their SIM cards, the police would track the phones, contact the individuals, accuse them of using stolen mobiles, and then demand money to ‘settle’ the matter. A doctor, who had unknowingly purchased a stolen phone online, was allegedly approached by police from Mumbai Central Railway police station, who attempted to extort money from him.