Nagpur, Dec 16 (Inditop.com) Two burglaries in the prestigious Rajdhani Express (2430) from New Delhi to Bangalore early Wednesday shocked passengers, raising concerns over their safety and baggage security.
The thefts occurred in two 2-tier coaches within eight hours after the fully air-conditioned (AC) super-fast train chugged out of Hazrat Nizamuddin station an hour behind schedule late Tuesday.
A handbag of a woman passenger in the fifth coach and two mobile phone handsets of a family in the third coach were found missing from their berths in the wee hours though doors remained locked en-route and through movement of others was restricted.
“My wife went to toilet around 6 a.m. and found her leather handbag missing on return to her berth. The bag had Rs.3,100 in cash and some cosmetic items,” her husband Devi Dutt Sati told Inditop onboard.
The family members in the other bogie, who boarded the train at Jhansi around 2 a.m., also found their mobile phone handsets stolen in similar circumstances between Bhopal and Nagpur around sunrise.
The aggrieved passengers filed complaints with the local police at the Nagpur station around noon after the theft was brought to the notice of the train ticket examiner (TTE) and the train superintendent.
“I am sorry some passengers lost cash and mobile sets in a running train, which is otherwise secured. The Nagpur police will investigate the theft case. It is premature to suspect the accompanying entourage for the crime,” the TTE told IANS when quizzed about the incident.
Operated five-days a week between the national and state capitals, the luxury train also carries onboard a retinue of attendants, and house-keeping and maintenance staff for the 36-hour-long journey.
The TTE, who declined to be named, regretted that a complement of four-six GRP (government railway police) men, posted onboard the train for passengers’ safety, were withdrawn recently due to shortage in the force and on deputation for other duties.
Co-passengers, who learnt about the incident after the FIR was filed, expressed concern over the safety of their luggage through another night’s journey to Bangalore. The train is scheduled to reach Bangalore early Thursday.
“It’s shocking how such an incident can take place when un-authorised persons are not allowed inside AC coaches. Who could have done it? It has to be someone – either passengers or someone among the attendant staff,” Sati pointed out.
“Burglaries in Rajdhani trains have become too common to even raise an alarm, as complaints of bags, brief/suitcases, laptops and other expensive goods vanishing were reported many times, especially on this route,” a co-passenger, who frequently travels between Delhi and Bangalore, noted.
Passengers were also outraged at the shoddy condition of the AC coaches, dirty toilets and the low quality of food served, whose cost is included in the ticket fare.
“The condition of this AC train is worse than other express or ordinary trains, as the coaches are outdated and toilets in them are no different from those in non-AC sleeper class,” lamented a passenger.
Cockroaches and mice roaming freely in Rajdhani are common despite several complaints by passengers to the state-run rail authorities.
“It’s coined Rajdhani for namesake, but it’s as bad as other express or ordinary trains. Though we are forced to cough up a whopping sum for safety and comfort, the apathy of the railways is all too visible to comment,” another passenger lamented.
