After 5 yrs of robbery, Central Railway told to pay Rs 3.2L to woman

This picture has been used for representational purposes

A district forum in Mumbai ordered the Central Railway to pay Rs 3.2 lakh to a woman as compensation after she was robbed of her jewellery and cash while travelling in a Varanasi-bound train in 2015. The district forum said that the Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) should have prevented any unauthorised persons from entering the train.

The woman, identified as Poonam Chobey, had alleged in her complaint to the South Mumbai District Consumer Forum that she lost jewellery worth Rs 6 lakh and Rs 25,000 cash when she travelled in the second-class AC compartment of Mahanagari Express from CSMT to Varanasi on May 15, 2015, according to a report in Times of India.

She was travelling with her family to Varanasi for a wedding. Chobey told the forum that she and her family slept off by 1.30 am and she had kept her purse near her pillow while sleeping. At around 4.30 pm she woke up and found her purse missing. She then frantically began to search for her purse in the compartment, only to find it lying open and empty near the toilet.

Chobey then informed the TTE and filled a form in which she described the contents missing from her bag. She also told them that though she did not suspect any staff, she saw some unidentified people in the compartment before going to sleep whom she believes to be the culprits.

Although an FIR for the theft was registered in the Bhusaval railway police station, it was subsequently shifted to Manmad railway police. After a few weeks, she was told that the thieves could not be traced and the case was closed.

She approached the forum and it ordered the railways to reimburse the lost cash and pay Rs 1.9 lakh for the ornaments for which she produced the bills. The amount to be given as compensation also included interests and costs towards the mental agony caused by the crime.

Along with finding the railway guilty, the forum also considered the national consumer commission orders in this case. According to the rules specified by the railways, some of the TTE's duties include not allowing any unidentified persons in reserved compartments and the end doors of the vestibule of the coach are supposed to be locked between 10 pm to 6 am.

The commission quoted an extract of the rules from the railway website, "He shall remain vigilant, particularly during night time and ensure that intruders, beggars, hawkers and unauthorised person do not enter the coach. Hence, the TTE on duty was particularly required to take special care at night."

However, the Central Railways denied the allegations and maintained that they are not liable to pay as their staff was not responsible for the theft.

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