12 January,2015 01:45 PM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
The number of callers informing the Government Railway Police (GRP) of suspicious and abandoned bags on railway premises increased from 692 in 2013, to 719 in 2014
Mumbaikars seem to have gotten more alert, or so the data shared by the Government Railway Police (GRP) reveals. Of the phone calls received on the GRP helpline, more people called in to report a suspicious looking bag on the railway premises as compared to 2013.
A total of 719 persons called in to report a suspicious looking bag or object, either on a train or on the premises of a railway station, in 2014. File pic for representation
719 persons called in to report a suspicious looking bag or object, either on a train or on the premises of a railway station, in 2014. This number stood at 692 in 2013. However, only 86 people called in to report suspicious persons last year, as compared to 109 in 2013.
After such a phone call is received, the GRP traces the said person and questions him/her. In all of the calls, nothing of significance was found.
Absent-minded
11,659 people called in to report they had forgotten their bags inside the train; these contained cash, gold, phones, cameras, etc. From the 2,427 bags that were found by police, GRP managed to recover 121 laptops, 18 cameras, 89 mobile phones and 725 grams of gold. Rs 20.54 lakh in cash was also found.
In 2013, 10,200 people such calls for forgotten belongings were made. 337 people were also reported as having seemingly lost their way, and 148 of them turned out to actually be in that situation. 18,857 phone calls were made last year, averaging 52 calls a day or more than two calls an hour.
Most calls received in the year were in January 1,248 as opposed to 2013's record in December, which stood at 1,174. "We get continuous calls on our helpline number and we immediately provide help to passengers in need and facing an emergency situation.
Every day, lakhs of passengers use local trains and in case of an emergency, they can dial our number and get help immediately," said Prakash Jadhav, inspector, GRP helpline.
