FM Malaiyya & wife robbed of cash, jewellery on running train to Delhi

BHOPAL/AGRA: Finance minister Jayant Malaiyya and his wife, Sudha, a former BJP national secretary, were robbed by four armed miscreants while travelling from Jabalpur to New Delhi in AC first coach of Shriram Express. The incident occurred around 4 am on Thursday when the train was speeding through forest areas near Mathura. An FIR was lodged in the morning with railway police at Nizamuddin station in Delhi.The minister and his wife were robbed of valuables, including cash and jewellery. Several other passengers on the train were also robbed.
Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said three RPF personnel escorting the train have been suspended. The couple had boarded the train at Damoh for Delhi.
"We were asleep in the coupe and I was on the lower berth. Suddenly, there was frantic banging on the door. Usually the attendant or officials don't knock so hard," Sudha Malaiyya said. "We thought there must be an emergency and opened the slide door. Four men armed with daggers were standing there. They said we would be killed if valuable were not handed over."
They snatched Sudha's purse and jewellery. Robbers searched finance minister Malaiyya for valuables. They frisked his body to see if he was wearing a gold chain. "A finger ring on my left hand got stuck when I tried to take it off. But robbers were impatient and said they would chop off my finger to take out the ring," Sudha recalled. When the finger ring wouldn't heave out, one of the men decided to leave the train without that piece of jewellery.
They instructed the finance minister and his wife to stay inside their coupe for the next five minutes. Thereafter, they jumped off the train and after hurling stones at the AC coaches. The train attendant was gheraoed by passengers who were also robbed. Passengers told the minister that 10-12 armed men had robbed the train.
A peeved Sudha Malaiyya later said the 24-coach train had only three RPF personnel armed with AK 47s which they were not authorised to fire. "I am disturbed as there is no system to take stock of the situation. RPF men said only three of them patrol the train and carry arms that cannot be used even during a crisis. They said bullets are counted and cannot be used," Sudha Malaiyya said.
When the finance minister asked RPF to call the next station to register an FIR, the call was made to New Delhi station. "The train is going to Nizamuddin and the call was made to New Delhi main station. We thought police would arrive at the platform to register FIRs. There were no cops even after the call was made at 4:25 am to Delhi control room. Anything can happen to passengers on trains," Sudha Malaiyya said.