Mumbai: A petrol pump owner was robbed aboard the Bandra-Jaipur Express (12980) on May 31. A four-member gang brandished a knife and looted him of Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, 4,500 Saudi Riyals (worth Rs1.03 lakh), and five tolas of gold, collectively valued at Rs 7.03 lakh.
About The Incident
The incident occurred around 1pm, and the gang fled the train between Goregaon and Jogeshwari stations. According to the FIR, the complainant, Ayub Puse Khan, 36, a resident of Jogeshwari West, runs a civil works business in Mumbai and owns a petrol pump in Rajasthan. His wife and two children – an 11-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter – had travelled to their native place, Fatehpur in Rajasthan, for the summer vacation in April.
Khan went to Fatehpur on May 20 to bring them back. On May 30, Khan and his family began their return journey on the Bandra-Jaipur Express, travelling in reserved coach A1. The train departed from Jaipur at 8.20pm. On May 31, Khan went to the washroom. During this time, an unidentified person approached his wife, Hina Khan, and told her that Andheri station was approaching, instructing her to bring their luggage to the coach door. The family had four trolley bags and a cardboard carton. After Khan returned to his seat, he began moving the luggage towards the door with the help of the person.
Suddenly, three more unidentified persons approached and stood near the luggage, making Khan suspicious. He questioned their presence and accused them of attempting to steal the bags. At that moment, the man who had helped with the luggage brandished a knife and threatened Khan, saying, “Stay aside and let us do our work peacefully, or we shall hurt you.”
As Khan tried to catch him, another man (described as fat) pushed him. Taking advantage of the confusion, the man with the knife and two others jumped off the train between Goregaon and Jogeshwari, on both the east and west sides, as the train slowed down. The fourth person ran off into another compartment. When Khan and his wife attempted to stop them, they managed to recover two of the accused’s bags. Shaken by the incident, the family closed the compartment door and checked their remaining bags for the loss.
After disembarking at Andheri, Khan dialled 139 and informed the police. He told them the accused appeared to be between 35 and 55 years old. Khan handed over the two recovered bags to the police and filed a complaint against the four unidentified individuals.
Case Registered
The Government Railway Police (GRP) at Borivali registered an FIR under sections 309(4) (robbery) and 3(5) (general explanation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on May 31. A police officer said, “We are examining CCTV footage from nearby railway stations. We have also received a dossier from Ahmedabad. The gang appears to be from another state, and efforts are underway to trace them.”
