After four incidents of children being kidnapped from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in two years, a joint team of railway protection force (RPF) and government railway police (GRP) personnel along with ticket checkers (TC) has been formed to keep a check on these cases, as well as those of drugging and looting passengers, theft and others.
“I had sent a proposal the Mumbai GRP commissioner Prabhat Kumar and Atul Rane, senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Central Railway (CR) on Thursday to form this joint team to keep tabs on suspected persons indulging in criminal activities at CST,” said Alok Bohra, senior divisional security commissioner, RPF, CR. He added that the joint team will soon be in action.
According to Bohra, two GRP personnel, three RPF personnel and one ticket checker from the commercial department would make up a team.
These teams members will check each and every passenger once they enter CST’s main hall, where the long distance trains depart from. This team will work from 10pm till 8am the next day. A joint team will also be formed at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) at Kurla and Dadar, Bohra said.
The team will take action against suspected criminals as well as persons entering the mail hall without tickets. Mumbai GRP commissioner Prabhat Kumar said, “I wrote a letter to the Divisional Railway Manager, CR and the chief security commissioner of the RPF, CR two weeks ago, asking them to enhance the security at CST’s main hall as it falls under the jurisdiction of RPF and railway, and also check those entering the railway premises to prevent the criminal activities.”
Past incidents at waiting hall
October 3, 2012: A month-old baby boy was kidnapped by an unidentified woman
June 10, 2012: A 4-year-old girl was abducted by Raju Gaur. Gaur was later nabbed by the Haridwar police and handed over to the CST GRP
September 7, 2011: A 10-day-old baby boy was abducted by an unidentified woman
October 15, 2010: A burkha-clad woman kidnapped a six-day-old baby girl
