8 held for robbing rail, bus travellers

The railway and city police have arrested as many as eight individuals, in two separate cases, who have been targeting and stealing valuables from train and bus commuters at MGR Chennai Central and Koyambedu bus terminus on Thursday.

In the first incident, a six-member gang from West Bengal, which had been stealing valuables from train passengers, was arrested in MGR Chennai Central railway station by the railway police, when they were about to board a train to their native state. Police recovered four sovereigns of gold and five mobile phones from the suspects and all the arrested were remanded in judicial custody.

The arrested were identified as Balasa Rai (43), Gowtham Das (42), Sumit Pathak (21), Sankar Agarwal, Gopla Mothi (57), and Radhyeshaym Rai (63) from North 24 Paragnas. According to police, the gang diverts the attention of train passengers travelling in unreserved compartments and on platforms. While the gang surrounds their target, one of them merges with the crowd, while the other members of the gang escape with the valuables, such as cell phone or chain, according to police. The suspects were nabbed after the footage of 14 CCTV cameras from the platform were combed.

The police had noted that the gang had come from West Bengal and split into two gangs.

While one of them indulged in chain snatching and other gang were into mobile snatching. Further, it was also revealed that the gang members used to travel back home every time they stole something worth huge to divide the loot. After spending the loot, they would return for their next ‘operation’.

Meanwhile, in another incident, police arrested two individuals who had been stealing mobile phones from passengers who are sleeping inside Koyambedu bus terminus.

A total of three mobile phones were seized from the duo. The arrested were identified as Ashok Kumar (33) and Selvaraj (23) of Koyambedu. Police said that the accused had been stealing mobile phones from passengers sleeping at the bus stand after they miss the bus to their destination.

Many passengers had lodged complaints with the police, saying that their mobile phones had disappeared while they were sleeping. Following repeated complaints, police have intensified their patrol and managed to nab the two. Police added that Selvaraj was arrested earlier for similar crimes.