KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Aug 3: Railway police on Wednesday nabbed a 30-year-old youth while he was trying to offer doctored food to a passenger at platform No 1 in Tatanagar station with the intention to rob him.
The passenger was saved from getting relieved of his valuables as a team of Railway Protection Force (RPF) who were monitoring the CCTV control room identified the youth in the nick of time, instructing another team of the railway police to nab the youth.
On frisking the apprehended youth, who was later identified as Sumit Mandal, the railway cops recovered AT-1 tablets (anti-anxiety drugs) and sleeping pills from his possession. Besides, the things recovered from Mandal include two stolen smartphones and cash.
Mandal who is a resident of Deoghar while facing interrogation confessed that he is one of the members of the gang that steals valuables from the passengers on the trains as well as on platforms by drugging them.
Sanjay Kumar Tiwari, Inspector, RPF, Tatanagar, said that they could identify Mandal during the monitoring of the CCTV control panel as the RPF cops dealing in the monitoring were already aware about the accused.
“On April 29 and July 26 this year, two railway passengers were robbed of their luggage after falling victim to such criminals at Tatanagar station. While going through the CCTV footage of the two incidents, we had come across the image of Mandal. In fact we were looking for this criminal and incidentally he appeared at the platform while trying to victimise passengers again today,” narrated Tiwari while speaking to lagatar24.com.
The RPF inspector said that the arrested person has divulged the names of some of his associates who also come to the station for committing such theft.
Explaining about the modus operandi, the inspector said such criminals befriend lone passengers as they wait for trains.
“As they wait, these criminals accept tea and snacks from their ‘target’ and sometime later return the treat by offering foods that are doctored. Once the passenger consumes the food, he either loses his sense or falls asleep, and the next moment the criminal escapes with the victim’s luggage,” Tiwari said.
