New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Forty-one-year-old Baby Tiwari’s worst fears came true when on the rare occasion she chose to travel by train — Kochuveli Raptisagar Express–, she was robbed of her gold worth Rs 2.50 lakh.
The incident happened in the early hours of Monday, when she was travelling from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh to Salem in Tamil Nadu — which is just four-hour drive from Tiruchirappalli, where her husband is posted for the last four years.
Though she rarely travelled by train, on Sunday she made an exception considering she was carrying a heavy luggage and also her two children.
She boarded the train’s 2AC coach from Gorakhpur, thinking it will be more convenient. Little did she know, she was going to lose more than she had bargained for.
“I was carrying substantial amount of jewellery as there were multiple functions at home including my son’s ‘Upanayana’. I had never thought I could get robbed on a train because nowadays I read about security being stringent and RPF presence in trains,” Tiwari told PTI on the phone from the train.
Recounting the incident, Tiwari said that she had boarded the train from Gorakhpur at around 6 am on Sunday and on Monday around 4 am when the train reached Nagpur, a man in his early 20s snatched her handbag which had all her jewellery in it, while she was asleep.
The pull startled her and she gave the man a chase, but he was too quick for her and managed to flee, she said. The incident happened at Balharshah railway station in Chandrapur district.
“Usually, I would wear most of the jewellery, but because of the heat, this time I had kept them in the bag,” she said, adding that the train was still moving slow when the man jumped off it, and alleged that he could be caught had the officials moved a little faster than they did.
She said shouted for the RPF and other officials to stop the train, but no help was provided to her immediately.
“They were very slow and refused to halt the train. If the train had been stopped, maybe the robber could have been caught. Later, even the TT was unhelpful and extremely slow to respond.
“I had jewellery worth Rs 2.50 lakh and some cash. More than anything else, the incident was traumatic and scary as I was travelling with young children,” she said.
She has filed a complaint with the railway police, a copy of which is with PTI. Tiwari also said that she has so far received news that the handbag was found on the tracks around the place it was snatched, along with her ATM and other cards.
“I hope I get my jewellery back. Some of them was given to me by my mother, some I had got made myself with my savings,” she said.
The incident comes days after the West Bengal gymnastics team got robbed on board the Amritsar Mail of a suitcase carrying cash and documents. PTI ASG ASG VN VN
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