Mumbai: A 37-year-old jewellery merchant from Rajasthan was allegedly robbed at Mumbai Central railway station by three men in khaki on August 10. The incident occurred at platform 5.
According to the FIR, the complainant, Kuldeep Kumar Soni, a resident of Churu, Rajasthan, had come to Mumbai with his daughter on August 1 to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with his sister.
On August 10, he was returning to Rajasthan. Soni reached Mumbai Central station around 10.30pm with his 8-year-old daughter, Bhavi, and brother-in-law, Dinesh. They were waiting for the Duronto Express, scheduled to depart at 11pm.
Assault and Extortion by Men in Police Uniform
At the platform, a man in khaki uniform without a nameplate, seated at a chair with a table, called Soni and his relatives towards him and checked Soni’s bag. He found a 14gram gold bar and R s31,900 in cash. When questioned, Soni explained that he had receipts for the gold. Despite this, the man abused and beat him in front of his daughter.
The man then called an accomplice, also in khaki, and together they took the trio to a dark room near the platform. A third man, pretending to be a senior officer, joined them. The three men verbally abused the merchant, assaulted him, threatened to arrest him, and forced him to sign a blank paper.
The complainant’s daughter began crying and was traumatised. As the train was about to depart, the accused took the gold bar and Rs 31,000 in cash, returning only Rs 1,900 when Soni pleaded he had no money for the journey. They then let them go.
Complainant Reports Incident After Returning to Rajasthan
After returning to Rajasthan, Soni complained to Ratangarh police station on August 18. Railway police said the accused remain unidentified, though sources claimed they were police personnel who have since been suspended.
Investigation Highlights Possible Organised Malpractices
The Mumbai Railway Crime Branch is investigating the matter. “We have contacted the complainant for his detailed statement, and he will arrive on August 21 to record it,” a railway police officer said.
Sameer Zaveri, a train accident victim and social worker, stated, “Incidents of passengers being extorted under the pretext of baggage checking by police personnel at railway stations have been reported time and again. This indicates an organised and deep-rooted syndicate operating within the police force.”
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He added that such activities cannot occur without the knowledge of senior officers, especially since CCTV cameras are installed on platforms where passengers are intercepted. The usual modus operandi involves taking passengers into rooms without CCTV coverage and extorting money under threats of prosecution. Such incidents bring grave disrepute to the police force and destroy public trust.
