VIJAYAWADA: Four women passengers were releived of valuables and cash worth several lakhs of rupees by thieves in the Navjeevan Express train early Monday.
The incident occurred between Sirpur Kagaznagar and Manchirial railway stations of Adilabad district in Telangana state at about 2 am when the passengers were asleep. The train was going to Chennai from Ahmedabad. The theft occurred in A-1 and B-1 AC coaches. Three passengers were robbed in A-1 coach and another in B-1 coach.
“I boarded the train at Surat in Gujarat to go to Chennai. I kept valuables like diamond mangalasutra in a hand bag and went to sleep. But I was shocked to know that my bag was stolen between Sirpur Kagaznagar and Manchirial stations,” said Indu Chandok of Chennai.
“There was no security all the way from Surat, where I boarded the train, till the place where the theft occurred,” complained Indu Chandok who reportedly lost valuables and cash - all worth Rs 2,32,000.
Smitha Uday Wagh from Jalgaon in Maharasthra lost gold ornaments, mobiles and cash worth Rs 2,12,000.
Passengers complained to the TTE soon after they came to know about the theft.
However, they lodged a complaint with the Vijayawada Government Railway Police around 9 am.
“The theft appears to have been committed by persons who were travelling in the AC compartment along with passengers. This type of thefts are resorted to by co-passengers as everyone in the AC coach will be in deep sleep at the time. We have registered a case and started investigation into the matter,” said Vijayawada GRP station CI Srinivasa Reddy.