The robbery, which lasted around 30 minutes, left passengers in a state of panic and fear.
Representational image
Nellore: Tension gripped the passengers of (train no. 20494) Chandigarh-Madurai superfast express, when unidentified miscreants went on a looting spree in the early hours of Wednesday. The looting incident took place in the two sleeper coaches of the train. The train was heading to Madurai,
The assailants terrorised passengers and robbed two gold chains and a bag containing cash when the train was stranded between Allur Road and Padugupadu stations.
The robbery lasted for around 30 minutes and it took place between 12:00am and 12:30 AM. According to DSP, railways, G. Muralidhar, the criminals tampered with the signaling system by placing one rupee coin at the junction where two tracks meet, forcing the train to stop.
Two of the robbers entered the S4 and S5 bogies, while two others were waiting outside the train. The gang members snatched two gold chains weighing 12 grams and 10 grams from two women passengers. Besides, the miscreants took away bag containing ₹4,000 in cash from another passenger.
DSP Muralidhar said that train no. 12863 (Howrah-SMVT Bengaluru SF Express) which was running ahead of the Madurai-bound train no. 20494, slowed down due to tampering of the signaling system . As a result, the train no. 20494 came to a grinding halt when the signal turned red.
A similar incident had occurred in 2022 near Thettu railway station, located between Ongole and Kavali. The DSP further said, a snapped wire at the junction box near the signal was found. “Prima facie, it appeared that the robbery was committed by an old gang. The culprits will be apprehended soon,” he added.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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