Robbers target desolate area, long halts at Manmad

NASHIK: The Government Railway Police (GRP) suspect that the robbers have been using the desolate area near Ankai fort and the forced halts of trains for the entry and escape routes to carry out robberies on trains near Manmad. The role of local vendors in the cases reported at Nashik is being probed.
The cases of robbery have shown a steep rise in Manmad police station area of the GRP. Manmad Railway Station is a junction that branches out in two directions - South Central Railways and Pune via Daund.The police claim that criminals chance upon forced halts of trains around Ankai fort located in Nashik-Manmad region and just 8 km from Manmad.
"The trains coming to Manmad from Aurangabad are forced to wait till they get a clear line in the junction. There are at least three long duration halts in the region. The robbers, who park their vehicles along the road nearby, make their way into the trains, commit their crime and flee into the darkness. These criminals even take the help of trucks to go," the railway police said.
The police have solved four cases in the past two months and arrested eleven persons. "All of them are in custody and the chargesheet is being filed against them," the officer said.
The Nashik police station has reported a rise in the number of theft and robbery cases. The investigations suspect the involvement of vendors. The numbers of cases robbery have gone down in Bhusawal police station.
"We have questioned all the vendors along this route and picked up some clues. However, there are some instances in which even the complainants have registered false addresses. Repeated attempts have been made to track down the complainants to gather more information," the officer added.