HYDERABAD: A mobile application designed to help passengers track their trains has come in handy for a notorious gang of thieves. Using the ‘Where is my Train’ app, they would monitor a train’s location, and as it neared, they would tamper with the signal, turning it red. Once the train screeched to a halt, they would get in and rob the passengers.
The offences would be committed on a stretch near a highway, so the thieves could easily escape after looting passengers. Only long-distance trains were targeted.
One member of this gang, Balaji Shrirang Shinde, was arrested by the Railway police of Secunderabad division on Tuesday. Four other members were arrested in Maharashtra earlier, and two are absconding.
The thieves were part of the notorious Parthi gangs involved in the robberies on the Yeshwantpur-Kacheguda Express in September, 2018 at Mahbubnagar, said DSP (Rural) Railways M Srinivas Rao. That month, two robberies took place on the same train within two weeks, and the gang made away with 37.5 tolas of gold ornaments.
Based on technical evidence and other clues collected from the victims, the Railway police nabbed Balaji on Tuesday. Inquiries revealed that the gang members hailed from Maharashtra, and would travel by road to different parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to commit crimes.
After deciding which train to rob, they would reach a signal post by the tracks and wait. Dada Shinde would track the train on the ‘Where is my Train’ app, and as it approached, other gang members would tamper with the connections in the signal box, turning the green signal red. As the train halted, the offenders would rob passengers through the train windows, and if faced with resistance, would pelt stones at the passengers. While they used stones in both offences registered here, the gang has a history of also using firearms and other weapons.