Railway Police Crack Down on Train Theft Gang After Months of Pursuit

Railway Police have made significant progress in tracking a notorious train theft gang that had been evading law enforcement agencies for nearly two months. The gang allegedly targeted passengers travelling on trains between Chennai, Bengaluru, Narsapur, and Kakinada, carrying out chain-snatching incidents during the early hours of the morning. Investigators revealed that the accused frequently travelled in general compartments disguised as ordinary passengers and operated near Bapatla, Nidubrolu, and Tenali. After snatching gold chains from sleeping women passengers, gang members reportedly pulled the emergency chain to halt the train and escaped through nearby fields under the cover of darkness.

Authorities had anticipated another theft attempt around the new moon phase and intensified surveillance near railway tracks, stations, and signal points. During a recent operation near Appikatla, suspects allegedly attacked railway police personnel with stones while attempting to flee, prompting armed reserve police to open fire. One accused, identified as Sonu, was apprehended during an extensive search operation. Based on his inputs and CCTV footage collected from Nellore Railway Station, investigators identified five more gang members. The probe has now confirmed that the criminals belong to a Rajasthan-based gang, helping police connect them to previous theft cases and gather crucial evidence through technical and tower-dump analysis.