3 arrested for stealing train batteries at LTT
A case has been registered against Amar Gaffar Khan (48), Shanawaz Madasha (18) and Ishak Khan (52), who were arrested for the theft and sale of over 10 train batteries, on Sunday afternoon.
The accused, who are from Wadala, were caught by the Railway Police Force (RPF) at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), carrying a 50 kilogram battery from a railway maintenance shed in Tilak Nagar to their parked bike.
Over the past week, several thefts have been reported on the local railway lines, hampering train services. According to the RPF, batteries are used to power air-conditioned coaches as well as provide a back-up power source to the rest of the train. However, battery thieves are selling them off as scrap metal. The case has been registered under Section 3 of The Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act.
Four batteries were seized and it was revealed that 10 more had been siphoned off from the yard in the past few days.
“Considering the railways are not enclosed completely, it is not possible to man every part of it. It is impossible to stop the thieves but we do our best to prevent them from escaping once a case is reported,” said Sachin Bhalode, the senior divisional security commissioner of RPF on the Central Railway.
On June 29, seven people were arrested by the Byculla RPF for stealing i-bonds (a type of signalling equipment). On the same day, the Kurla RPF arrested two contract labourers who tried to steal 33 kilograms of wires, belonging to the Signal and Telecommunication department.
Similar thefts have also been reported at Dadar and Chinchpokli, resulting in dysfunctioning signals and delayed train schedules.
The accused, who are from Wadala, were caught by the Railway Police Force (RPF) at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), carrying a 50 kilogram battery from a railway maintenance shed in Tilak Nagar to their parked bike.
Over the past week, several thefts have been reported on the local railway lines, hampering train services. According to the RPF, batteries are used to power air-conditioned coaches as well as provide a back-up power source to the rest of the train. However, battery thieves are selling them off as scrap metal. The case has been registered under Section 3 of The Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act.
A RPF official from LTT commended constable Avdesh Yadav for questioning what he thought was Amar Khan and Madasha’s suspicious behaviour of carrying the battery to their bike at 1p.m. He said that when the constable questioned them, they tried to get away by saying they worked with the railways. They were arrested when they were unable to provide proof. Ishak Khan was arrested later, when it was found that he was buying the batteries from the duo.
Four batteries were seized and it was revealed that 10 more had been siphoned off from the yard in the past few days.
“Considering the railways are not enclosed completely, it is not possible to man every part of it. It is impossible to stop the thieves but we do our best to prevent them from escaping once a case is reported,” said Sachin Bhalode, the senior divisional security commissioner of RPF on the Central Railway.
On June 29, seven people were arrested by the Byculla RPF for stealing i-bonds (a type of signalling equipment). On the same day, the Kurla RPF arrested two contract labourers who tried to steal 33 kilograms of wires, belonging to the Signal and Telecommunication department.
Similar thefts have also been reported at Dadar and Chinchpokli, resulting in dysfunctioning signals and delayed train schedules.
