The railway police transferred eight constables to the railway headquarters after initiating an inquiry into extortion incidents at railway stations. Rakesh Kalasagar, Commissioner of Mumbai Railway Police, spoke to FPJ and stated, “We have taken the extortion cases seriously and initiated an inquiry. Based on the preliminary inquiry, I have issued orders today to transfer eight constables to headquarters from the Bandra, Borivali, and Andheri railway police stations.”
Guidelines for Bag Checking to Be Issued
The Chief of the Railway Police confirmed that he will issue guidelines on bag checking at railway stations. The guidelines will be issued on Saturday or Sunday. Recently, extortion incidents under the guise of bag checking at railway stations came to light, involving railway police officers and police personnel. Based on these incidents, the Railway Police Commissioner has taken these decisions. According to sources, the guidelines state that bag checking must be carried out in the presence of senior police officers and under CCTV surveillance. The police should not check bags in secluded rooms or any other inappropriate locations, and railway police must strictly follow these rules.
Arrest of Fake Policeman at Bandra Station
The Railway Crime Branch arrested another individual, Ravi Singh, 25, on Friday for allegedly impersonating a railway policeman and defrauding a garment businessman at Bandra railway station. He has been remanded in police custody until August 9.
Five-Year Racket Uncovered
On September 1, an extortion incident occurred at Bandra Railway Terminus after a passenger’s bag was checked by two men posing as police officers, who duped him of Rs.10.30 lakh. The investigation revealed that Assistant Sub-Inspector Vijaya Ingavale had allegedly been running the racket for nearly five years. The Railway Crime Branch arrested her immediately.
Earlier Cases at Mumbai Central and Vasai
Meanwhile, the first reported case occurred at Mumbai Central on August 10, where three police personnel allegedly extorted Rs.30,000 from a jeweller from Rajasthan after checking his bag. In another case at Vasai on June 13, railway police allegedly extorted Rs.5,000 from a male passenger as a penalty for merely standing and talking on the foot overbridge.
