Mumbai: Railway cops gear up to deal with Diwali gangs who target travellers

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Diwali is the season of joy, not only for the common man, but for thieves as well. The festive season sees gangs from across Maharashtra and other states too coming to Mumbai to target travellers. The railway crime branch is stepping up to deal with the menace.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, most of these gangs come from states like Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and from places inside Maharashtra, such as Solapur. Railway cops told the paper that these gangs stay Mumbai for around a fortnight, and constantly shift their location. The gangs of five-six people purposely move into lodges where they are not required to produce any identity proof. They then target passengers at Mumbai's six long-distance terminals.

"They move from one lodge to another after a crime so that it becomes hard to track them. They commit several thefts and go back home with substantial booty. We have caught groups like these several times in the past," a railway crime branch officer was quoted as saying by HT.

These gangs mostly decide to strike at terminals, since passengers carry plenty of luggage at these stations. "Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, LTT, Thane, Kalyan, Mumbai Central and Bandra see a lot of passengers coming in from outside. We will post special teams there and spread awareness among waiting passengers through announcements," the officer told Hindustan Times.

According to the report, the Government Railway Police (GRP) has externed more than 30 habitual criminals in the past two months itself. The report further stated that the railway crime branch is set to start two new units at Diva and Vashi this Diwali.