Amaravati: Robbers looted passengers of the Nizamabad-Tirupati Rayalaseema Express in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district in the early hours of Tuesday. According to railway police, unidentified miscreants looted passengers aboard Train No. 12794 Nizamabad-Tirupati Rayalaseema Express when it had stopped on the outskirts of Gooty town. The incident occurred around 1.30 a.m. as the Rayalaseema Express stopped to clear the track for the Shalimar (Kolkata)-Vasco-da-Gama (Goa) Amaravati Express.
The robbers entered 10 sleeper coaches and snatched gold ornaments, cash, and other valuables from passengers after threatening them. At least 20 passengers lodged a complaint with Tirupati Railway Police after the train reached its destination in the morning. The incident sent panic among passengers. They reported having lost 20 tola gold ornaments. Railway police were collecting details of the gold, cash, and other valuables looted. A police officer said they have registered a case and have taken up an investigation. Voicing concern over the robberies, passengers demanded that railway authorities beef up security to provide them protection. Similar incidents were reported from various parts of Andhra Pradesh in recent times. Most of these incidents were reported during the night hours. In some cases, robbers targeted passengers of some trains by tampering with railway signals. The robbers often target long-distance trains when they stop at railway crossings during night hours.
On April 2, miscreants had robbed passengers of the Chandigarh-Madurai Express after halting the train by tampering with railway signals between Allur Road and Padugupadu stations in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district. The robbers had placed rupee coins on the track junction, turning the signal red and forcing the train to stop. According to eye-witnesses, two assailants entered two coaches while two others stood guard outside. They snatched gold chains weighing 12g and 10g from two women and stole Rs 4,000 from another passenger’s bag. Railway police suspect the involvement of robbers possibly linked to Bihar or Chennai gangs.