Railway Police officers from Pune division have arrested five members of an interstate gang from Haryana who used to steal jewellery from railway passengers in the pretext of helping them alight from trains. Gold and diamond-studded ornaments weighing 288 grams, valued at around Rs 40 lakh, were recovered from the accused in Delhi.
The arrested accused have been identified as Monu Rajkumar (25), resident of Kungar, Bawani Khera, Bhiwani district; Hawa Singh Fatte Singh (66), resident of Dhodi, Jind district; Amit Kumar Balwant Singh (31), resident of Bawani Khera, Bhiwani district; Ajay Satish Kumar (28), resident of Manoharpur, Jind district; and Kuldeep Ramphal (28), resident of Lochab, Khungakutti, Jind district. All the accused are residents of Haryana.
According to the police, a family was travelling from Surat to Miraj by the Gandhidham–Bengaluru Express. As the train approached Miraj railway station, a woman was taking out the bags kept under the seat and moving towards the door to get down. At that time, three of the five men standing near the door offered to help unload the luggage at Miraj station. Taking advantage of the situation, they helped the family get the bags down but stole gold and diamond jewellery weighing about 24 tolas from one of the bags.
After the incident, the officers from the Miraj Railway Police and the Local Crime Branch began an investigation. Based on technical analysis and confidential information, it was found that the accused belonged to an interstate gang from Haryana.
Technical evidence further showed that the accused had travelled by air to Delhi. With the assistance of the Delhi Airport Authority and the Delhi Crime Branch, the accused were detained in Delhi.
After their arrest, the police obtained nine days of police custody. During the investigation, gold and diamond-studded jewellery weighing a total of 288 grams, linked to two cases registered at Miraj Railway Police Station, was recovered.
An officer from the department revealed, such thefts usually occur when trains are about to arrive at stations and passengers, especially women, move towards the doors with their luggage. The accused takes advantage of this moment by offering help, diverting the passengers’ attention, opening the bag zips and stealing valuables before closing the bags again.
