Maharashtra: Railway police arrest trio, claim detection of 7 cases of thefts on long-distance trains

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The Government Railway Police on Wednesday claimed to have detected at least seven cases of thefts on long-distance trains with the arrest of three persons, a release said.

As per the GRP release, someone stole a purse belonging to a family travelling from Madgaon to New Delhi by the Ernakulam-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express on April 12. The purse contained jewellery worth Rs 36,500, it said.

A special investigation team (SIT) probing into the crime learnt that three persons would target passengers on mail and express trains and that they were in the coastal district of Ratnagiri.

GRP recently arrested the trio, identified as 28-year-olds Ramishwar Kumar Nandlal Sahani, Khublal Kailas Mahto and Binod Sonaram Mahto, from Ratnagiri and recovered gold jewellery, 17 mobile phones, a TV and cash worth Rs 8.58 lakh from them, the release said.

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With their arrest, the GRP said it detected at least 7 such cases, including four registered at the Panvel railway police station.

The trio also committed thefts on trains within the limits of Ratnagiri rural and Kerala's Thrissur Kottayam districts, the release said.

Meanwhile, the Government Railway Police on August 21 arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly kidnapping a teenage girl whom he befriended on a social media platform, the GRP said on Monday.

The incident took place at Kalyan station in Maharashtra's Thane district on August 18. The 17-year-old girl was later rescued and the man was arrested on Sunday on charges of kidnapping her, the GRP said in a release.

The girl, a resident of Dharavi in neighbouring Mumbai, was travelling in a reserved coach of the Gadag Express from Solapur, it said.

As per the CCTV footage checked later by police, the girl was seen getting down from the train and walking alone on a platform of the Kalyan station, the release said.

The police carried out checks with the help of her mobile number and informants and got a tip-off that a man from a village in Karjat in neighbouring Raigad district had kidnapped the girl, it said.

A police team later reached the house of the accused in Karjat where the girl was spotted, the GRP said.

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The girl was rescued and handed over to her parents. The accused, Kunal Ravindra Ratambe, was placed under arrest on charges of kidnapping, the police said.

A preliminary probe revealed the girl and the accused became friends on Instagram and fell in love, they said.

Further probe is on into the case, the police added.