Four members of the Mishra family were looted after being drugged during a train journey. Cops suspect railway employees could be involved
The manager of a leading bank and his family were drugged and looted of their belongings worth well over R1 lakh. Shockingly, initial investigations have revealed that the incident, which occurred when the four-member family were travelling on an air-conditioned sleeper coach from Odisha to Mumbai -- could have been orchestrated by railway employees. The family members have told the police that they felt drowsy immediately after being served lunch, which they ordered from the pantry. They woke up sometime later to find their belongings missing.
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Jankibhushan Abhimanyu Mishra, 42, works as a bank manager and was travelling by the 12146 Up Puri -- Mumbai LTT Express with his wife Swagatika, 36 and two children, Sukhipradha, 9 and Aditya, 4. According to their statement, they boarded the train from Puri on the morning of November 5 and were supposed to arrive at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai next afternoon. But soon after having the lunch they ordered from the train’s pantry, the Mishras fell unconscious.
Mishra said, “The coach attendant arrived and handed us our pillow. Soon after we ordered lunch at 1 pm. As soon as we had finished lunch all of us felt very drowsy and immediately went to sleep.”u00a0An officer from Kurla GRP said, “The complainant is a resident of Kandivli. He claimed that either the food had a sleep-inducing drug or the pillow was sprayed with something that would make him and his family lose consciousness.”
An hour later, Swagatika woke up to find their belongings missing. “She woke me up and we started hunting for our bags. I then got down at Jharsuguda station and asked the TC where I could lodge a complaint. But as the train was leaving, I got back into the carriage.”
By the time they reached Mumbai, the Mishras realised they had lost goods worth Rs 1.13 lakh, including ornaments, mobile phones and credit cards. “They were still feeling unwell and Mishra somehow contacted his office colleagues to help them out. They were admitted to a private hospital and it is only today, that he reported the matter to the Kurla GRP and filed a complaint,” added the officer.
When contacted Mishra said, “While I was enquiring with my fellow passengers, I came to know that one more passenger sitting in my neighbouring coach had lost his bag.” The incident took place somewhere after Chambalpuri station in Odhisha. The cops have lodged an FIR and transferred the case to the railway police station in Odhisha.
The unidentified accused persons have been booked under sections 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc, with intent) and 379 (punishment for theft) of the Indian Penal Code.