M A I N   N E W S

Cops held for looting train passengers
Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

Uchhi Bassi (Hoshiarpur), August 18
Government Railway Police (GRP) officials allegedly threatened and looted 13 migrant labourers travelling by the Howrah-bound Jammu-Tawi Himgiri Express a couple of hours after they boarded the train at Chakki near Pathankot, in the wee hours today.

The labourers, were going to Bihar after working at Jammu and nearby areas for a couple of months. Mr Bhajnik Singh, the guard of the train, came to know about the incident, made the train to stop here and informed the railway authorities.

Three or four members of the escort party, who allegedly robbed the labourers, were arrested at the Jalandhar-Cantonment railway station. The arrested cops were identified as head constable Kulwant Singh and constable Makhan Singh and Satwinder Singh. The train was searched at the station for about an hour.

The victims, led by Mr Mohammed Kafil, of West Champaran in Bihar, alleged that soon after the train left Chakki around 4 a.m., the cops started their search operation, during which they threatened the labourers and made them part with money. This continued for four or five hours, he said.

The amount looted was about Rs 25,000. The victim returning to their homes with the money they had saved.

When contacted, Mr Gurnam Singh, SHO, GRP, Jalandhar, confirmed that three cops were arrested for robbing the passengers. He said a case under Sections 382 and 34 of the IPC had been registered.

He did not specify the amount of allegedly looted by cops.