Duronto passengers robbed at knifepoint

New Delhi: Unidentified miscreants on Thursday morning looted passengers of the Jammu-Delhi Duronto Express at knife-point near Badli in North West Delhi. City Police have registered a case after receiving complaints on the robbery incident.

The robbers targeted the passengers of B3 and B7 AC coaches and decamped with their money, jewellery and ATM cards. Passengers tried to reach the train attendant and TT after the incident and found them after 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) claimed that there is the possibility that accused stopped the train by planting coins in railway tracks to turn the signal red.

Delhi Police in their press statement claimed that RPF is deputed to patrol running trains. "At the time of the incident no RPF staff were inside the train; also attendants were missing," police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railway) Dinesh Kumar Gupta told Millennium Post that two complainants from Jammu reported that they were travelling by 12266 Duranto Express from Jammu to New Delhi. "At about 4.40 am three-four boys entered the coach and committed robbery," said DCP Gupta.

An investigator claimed that negligence was found on the part of the attendants as they should have locked the doors when the train stopped at the outskirts. "Even after 20 minutes of the incident, no attendants were found in the coaches. The robbers were carrying sharp-edged knives," investigator added. Sources claimed that city police might question attendants.

One of the victim's relatives told this newspaper that it took just a few minutes for the robbers to loot cash and jewellery from the passengers. "Four to five masked men entered the cabin and put a knife on aunty's neck and asked for money. They took away the gold chain and bag," added the relative.

Dr Rajiv Kumar Verma, Senior DSC of RPF claimed that the accused manipulated the railway signal and committed the crime.