250-member squad to be deployed across suburban railway to check thefts

250-member squad to be deployed across suburban railway to check thefts

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has identified at least 40 spots next to poles on the Central and the Harbour  lines where miscreants reportedly hide and snatch belongings of commuters who stand on the footboard of local  trains. Now, at least 250 policemen will be stationed across the Central and Harbour lines to ensure safety and security  of passengers.  “We have formed a special squad. It has at least 250 RPF officials in it. The squad will work in two shifts, travelling across the suburban railway —  the Central and Harbour Lines.  

We have identified some poles at  Masjid and Thane, to name a few, wherein miscreants hide and use hooks to take off belongings from commuters,  including purses, backpacks etc. In fact, mobile phones have also been on the radar of these miscreants,” said  Sachin Bhalode, senior divisional security commissioner of the Central Railway (CR). 

“There are such poles at Byculla, Dadar Kurla, Thane and Dombivali on the CR and at the up line from Wadala to Vashi  on the Harbour line. These are the main spots where miscreants hide and several cases have been reported previously.  The miscreants snatch the belongings of those commuters who stand on the footboard, especially those who are  talking on their mobile phones,” added Bhalode. 

A senior officer claimed that there was a time pattern and the miscreants were most active at certain times. The RPF  squad of 250 offIcials will be deployed accordingly. “They are active from 4 pm till midnight. So, the rotation of duties will be carefully decided as more policemen  have to be deputed during this time. Also, these RPF officials, including men and women, would be in civil  clothes and would be active on the foot boards of the local trains. They would work under the guidance of one  senior,” added Bhalode. In one incident, a commuter and a Dombivali resident, Arati Gholpkar, was left braindead and later died after she  lost her balance and fell from the train, following a theft attempt. 

A man armed with a fishing line and a hook,  perched on a pole opposite her compartment, had flung out the line, aiming for her handbag. The idea of a special squad to stop such incidents arose after head constable Anuradha Pagode, a member of the Shakti squad, nabbed two suspects in local trains while on duty. One incident took place in a first-class  compartment, when a miscreant snatched a chain of a woman commuter after the train left Thane station. In the other  incident, Pagode caught a miscreant trying to flee with a mobile phone of a commuter in Tilak Nagar railway station.

Source :The Indian Express