Sharp decline in number of crimes on trains

CHENNAI: There’s a sharp decline in the number of crimes reported on trains in Tamil Nadu this year, if one were to go by the claims of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).According to sources, the State recorded 293 crimes on trains and railway station premises till October this year, which was 381 during the corresponding period in 2010.  These included, 21 cases of robbery and 223 cases of theft in 2011, and 73 cases of robbery and 296 thefts in 2010.According to a senior RPF official, emphasis on in-depth analysis of such cases that included studies on vulnerable trains and railway stations, has helped reduce the crime graph.For instance, the RPF personnel apprehended a gang in Tirupur that robbed commuters of their baggage after offering them soft drinks laced with sedatives.An in-depth analysis into the pattern of crime revealed that three such incidents were reported within two months on the same train (Sabari Express) between Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram. Interestingly, the RPF found out that a group of passengers from Tirupur were travelling on these trains on the day of the crime by availing tatkal tickets.“This piece of information helped us nab the criminals. They were arrested at the Computerised Passenger Reservation Centre in Tirupur, where they used to book the tickets,” the official added. The accused originally hailed from Bihar, the official revealed. Similarly, two educated youth, who were indulging in baggage theft in air-conditioned coaches were nabbed, thanks to the methodology adopted by the RPF.The duo - a physiotherapist and an MCA graduate - were stealing baggage of commuters and would alight in the intermediate stations along with the booty between Chennai and Coimbatore. Their tickets would have been reserved up to Coimbatore, said an official. “We also carry out frequent storming operations on trains to keep criminals at bay,” V K Dhaka, Chief Security Commissioner, RPF, Southern Railway, told ‘Express’. “Random checks are being executed even on the normal days, apart from specific days, in order to ensure the safety of passengers,” he added.