VELLORE: Jewellery and mobile phones were stolen from three women onboard three separate trains passing through Katpadi railway station in Vellore on the wee hours of Monday.
S Nisha, of Hyderabad, travelling by Sabari Express lost her handbag to a robber when the train was slowly moving about 3 to 5 km away from Katpadi railway station.
She had kept 5.5 sovereigns of gold jewellery, 2 mobile phones and a watch in the bag, sources said.
The woman got down from the train and lodged a complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP).
Chains were snatched from two other passengers-Chitradevi and Deepa Mala- while they were asleep on moving trains. Both had lost two sovereigns each, the sources noted, adding that GRP at Jolarpet registered cases regarding the incidents.
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Superintendent of Police (SP), GRP in Chennai, S Maheswaran visited the spot on Monday following the chain snatching and bag lifting incidents and constituted special teams to nab the robbers.
“We have formed four special teams to investigate the incidents. We are looking into certain aspects. We are hopeful of nabbing the robbers soon,” he told Express on Tuesday.
Maheswaran added that the incidents have occurred on trains moving through Andhra Pradesh and the hand of robbers from northern part of the country is suspected.
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Meanwhile, another official noted that the robbers target passengers on board trains that are slowly chugging away on the loop line from platforms 3, 4 and 5 to get on to the mainline. These trains are coming via Andhra Pradesh.
The robbers take position at the general compartments, move to the reserved coaches and rob of the valuables before alighting from the locomotives when the speed is around 20 km per hour, he said.
The incidents have occurred a little far away from Kilithanpattarai and the GRP has intensified vigil at the site by creating five pickets.
A contingent of 25 police men has been guarding the area to avert any such incidents recur.
Since the robbers easily flee from the train in the dark, the GRP has requested the Railways to create better illumination at the site.