Inter-state gang held in Kerala for stealing ornaments worth Rs 50 lakh from train passenger

Kozhikode (Kerala), Nov 15 (PTI) Railway Police here on Saturday arrested four members of an inter-state robbery gang that allegedly stole ornaments worth Rs 50 lakh from a train passenger, officials said.

The arrested accused were identified as Rajesh, Dilbag, Manoj and Jithender, all hailing from Haryana, they added.

According to police, an elderly couple travelling in the AC-2 tier coach of the Chennai–Mangaluru train on Friday had reported that gold and diamond ornaments kept in their bag had gone missing.

The couple told police they had checked the bag after boarding the train from Chennai. However, after reaching their home in Koyilandy in Kozhikode district, they found the ornaments missing. They also said two Hindi-speaking youths in the coach had helped them place their baggage, police said.

Kozhikode Railway Police registered a case, and an investigation team was formed under Station House Officer Basheer P K.

Based on the couple’s statement, police began tracing the Hindi-speaking passengers who travelled in the same coach. Investigators examined railway reservation charts and CCTV footage to identify the suspects. Using the mobile numbers used for ticket booking, police tracked tower locations and call data records, officials said.

On Saturday, the team located the suspects near the Kerala–Karnataka border. With the support of local police and railway police units, the four were intercepted and brought to Kozhikode. Police recovered the stolen ornaments from the accused, they added.

Officials said the gang members were involved in several similar thefts. They allegedly booked seats in AC coaches to target passengers and commit thefts. Their past crime history is being verified, police said. The accused will be produced before the court on Sunday, they added. PTI TBA TBA ADB