Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) has arrested a 36-year-old man for allegedly drugging express train passengers and then fleeing with their cash and valuables as they fell unconscious. The arrested accused, Jagdish Shahu, a Madhya Pradesh resident, was arrested last week, while a search for his two accomplices—Deepak Soni, 40, and Sahil Khan, 35—is underway, said police.
According to GRP, the trio targetted people aboard express trains of the Konkan Railways. “Their modus operandi was such that they would get into the trains and look for lone passengers. After winning over their trust, they would offer them cream biscuits, cold drinks and beverages laced with sedatives, capable of knocking out a person for over three hours. Once the victims fell unconscious, they would decamp with the booty at the next station,” said Purushottam Karad, DCP, Western Railway.
Last week, the GRP received a complaint from Rajesh Mullaya, 31, who alleged he was fed with cream biscuits and woke up at a Bangalore hospital, only to realise his valuables were missing. Considering the gravity of the situation, the investigation was intensified and a crime branch official spotted Shahu at Andheri station. A police team laid a trap and nabbed Shahu on January 15.
Further investigation revealed the names of Shahu’s accomplices, Soni and Khan. Shahu confessed they had been committing the crime for the past decade. “Soni is a history-sheeter and has similar cases against him at Bhopal. He has also served a jail term for the same crime previously also,” said Karad.
The trio have executed similar crimes at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Kalyan, Panvel and other railway stations. Valuables worth `70,000, including two gold rings, one LED TV set, one stereo headset and `5,000 in cash were seized. The other stolen items are also expected to be recovered. We are looking for the absconding duo,” added the senior police officer.