Kolkata, Oct. 23 -- The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) have recovered 5.448 kg of ruby stones worth Rs 43.20 lakh from a village in Haryana, after they were stolen from a couple travelling aboard the Ajmer-Sealdah Express. The prime suspect and three alleged accomplices are yet to be arrested, Eastern Railway said.
The theft took place on October 8 in an AC two-tier coach of the train while Alka Baid (58) and her husband, Rakesh Baid (59), were travelling from Ajmer to Sealdah. According to Eastern Railway, a suspect befriended the couple and offered assistance when Rakesh fell ill. He allegedly took advantage of the situation to steal two pouches containing ruby stones from their luggage before fleeing with his associates near Kankurgachi signal. The couple lodged a complaint through RailMadad, following which Sealdah GRP registered a case. A joint investigation team comprising the Crime Intelligence Branch (CIB), Sealdah, and the RPF post at Sealdah Main was formed to trace the suspects.
CCTV footage from the Bagmari area helped investigators identify the suspects. The victims subsequently identified the individuals seen in the footage. Further investigation revealed that the suspects had reportedly stayed at a guesthouse in Burdwan from October 5 to 8. Acting on further intelligence inputs, the team, with assistance from the RPF's Mangalore unit of South Western Railway, raided the native residence of the prime suspect, Sandeep alias Rodda, at Bathol village in Haryana's Hansi district on October 18. The entire consignment was recovered and seized. Eastern Railway suspects the involvement of Haryana's Sansi gang, which targets passengers by tampering with luggage zips.
"The systematic use of CCTV footage, sustained intelligence gathering and inter-railway coordination were crucial in cracking this case," said Eastern Railway chief public relations officer Shibram Majhi.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.