Three women passengers were relieved of their ornaments on the 16352 Nagercoil-Mumbai CST Balaji Express near Hasthavaram railway station in Kadapa District late on Sunday night.
The train left Renigunta railway junction at 10.45 p.m. and reached Hasthavaram by 11.37 p.m., while the offence took place just before midnight, roughly 4 k.m. from the station. When the train came to a screeching halt, five to six persons travelling in the guise of passengers got down, snatched the ornaments of women passengers through the windows and fled the spot. The stolen ornaments, in all, weighed about 50-60 grams.
“We believe it to be the handiwork of local offenders. No lethal weapons were used to harm the passengers”, Ramana Kumar, Circle Inspector, General Railway Police, Renigunta, told The Hindu. The theft appears casual as the victims still had some ornaments on their necks, which remained untouched.
A case has been booked at Renigunta, the jurisdictional headquarters of the railway police, which is situated a whopping 85 k.m. from the scene of offence.
