‘Missing passenger’ found dead in coach in Mumbai CSMT-Mangaluru junction superfast express

MANGALURU: In an alleged case of negligence, the body of a passenger, who was reported missing in the Mumbai CSMT-Mangaluru Junction Superfast Express (12133), was found in the coach toilet nearly 24 hours after the train returned to Mumbai CSMT. The timely intervention of the railway personnel could have helped to save his life, said the family members.
The deceased is Mohan Bangera,56, a native of Kateel near Mangaluru, who ran a milk parlour in Mumbai. He had boarded the train on the night of April 18 with an upset stomach, his brother Rama Bangera said. On realising that he was missing the next morning, through a co-passenger, a message was communicated to his relatives by the railway officials. On enquiring with TTEs whether they checked toilets, they told the family that they did so.
Rama went to Surathkal Railway Station on April 19 in search of his brother. He was told that Bangera might have alighted at some en route station, and urged him to check CCTV footage. Meanwhile, the train arriving at Mangaluru Junction around 1.05 pm, had undergone water filling and coach cleaning, including toilet cleaning, before it left for CSMT. The cleaning agency reported to have cleaned all four toilets of the coach. Bangera’s belongings were handed over to the authorities.
A complaint was filed, as the family continued to believe that he was alive. However, the next day, they were informed that Bangera’s body was found in the toilet. It was sent by the same train on April 21 to Mangaluru. “It is shocking the way the body was treated, and that this has happened due to the negligence of the staff,” alleged Rama Bangera.