BENGALURU: The city railway police have arrested a 37-year-old vehicle dealer from Uttarakhand for stealing valuables of passengers travelling by AC coaches. The accused, Jitendra Kumar Chawla from Nainital, used to steal valuables of passengers when they were sleeping.
He was arrested two days ago based on a complaint from a passenger travelling from Udupi to Bengaluru. The passenger lost over 50 grams of gold ornaments. The accused confessed that he had stolen valuables of passengers in Mysuru and Arsikere in Hassan district. He is also said to have stolen valuables of train passengers in Tamil Nadu. Around 81 grams of gold ornaments have been recovered from him.
Chawla never lived in one place, but stayed in lodges in cities and towns after stealing passengers’ valuables, according to railway police.
He is a habitual offender. He travelled by trains at night and targeted passengers sleeping in AC coaches. After stealing their valuables, he would get down at the next station. One of the victims filed a complaint last month. CCTV cameras at various stations captured his movements. Based on those images, he was arrested two days ago, said an officer.