VISAKHAPATNAM: Afraid of getting caught by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP), three robbers jumped off a speeding train near Chintala Agraharam village in Visakhapatnam district in the wee hours of Sunday. While two of them died on the spot, the third breathed his last while being shifted to hospital.
According to superintendent of police (GRP) M Kantha Rao, the trio sneaked into the B1 air-conditioned coach of East Coast Express plying from Bhubaneswar to Hyderabad at about 4 a.m. and threatened to kill one of the passengers, Santilal Jain for money. An alert Jain cried out for help, waking his fellow-passengers up and tried to ward off an attack. He sustained injuries during the ensuing scuffle.
As the RPF and the GRP personnel reached the coach, the robbers jumped off the running train afraid of getting caught. The locals of Chintala Agraharam found the trio, two of whom died on the spot. They rushed the third to the hospital but the doctors declared him brought dead. Police recovered a steel knife and two iron knives used for breaking coconuts apart from two bags from the spot. Based on the PAN cards and other identification proofs, two of the deceased were identified as KV Dayaram (25) and VK Mohanty (28). The third is yet to be identified.
The three bodies were sent to King George Hospital for post-mortem and the injured passenger, Santilal Jain was admitted to a private hospital. Meanwhile, deputy superintendent of GRP, V Bhima Rao rushed to the spot and is investigating.