Mumbai: In the ongoing extortion probe in which 13 personnel have been suspended so far, the Government Railway Police will soon issue guidelines on bag checking at railway stations. The guidelines state that bag checking must be carried out in the presence of senior police officers and under CCTV surveillance. Police officers must not check bags in secluded rooms or other inappropriate locations, and railway police must strictly follow these rules.
The suspended thirteen GRP personnel, including a senior inspector, were allegedly extorting money from passengers. They reportedly targeted valuables at luggage checkpoints and intimidated victims into paying bribes under the threat of jail.
The guidelines also mandate that officers must be in uniform and under CCTV monitoring during bag checking. Home guards and private employees will not be allowed at bag checking points. Police personnel will be rotated every 15 days for bag checking duties, and constables’ work profiles will be changed every three months. Railway police stations have been asked to inform the concerned officer by September 10 if CCTV cameras are unavailable or non-functional, and to submit reports on Home Guards, police personnel, or auxiliary staff to headquarters by September 19.
So far this year, the GRP has suspended three personnel from Mumbai Central, two each from Bandra and Vasai, and six constables from Bandra, Andheri, and Borivali railway police stations in connection with extortion cases.
The racket primarily targeted long-distance passengers carrying valuables at luggage checkpoints in stations such as Mumbai Central, Dadar, Kurla, Bandra Terminus, Borivali, Thane, Kalyan, and Panvel.
Victims were allegedly taken to GRP rooms without CCTV coverage and forced to prove ownership of their belongings. Under threats of losing valuables or being jailed, many passengers ended up paying bribes. Recently, three incidents were reported at Mumbai Central, Bandra, and Vasai.
