Khanna, February 26
One person was killed and three others were injured in a train dacoity near here this morning. Six or seven armed robbers entered the last coach of the Jalandhar-New Delhi superfast train (4682) between Doraha and
Jaspalon.
The robbers, who seemed to be migrant labourers, spoke Hindi and brandished two countrymade pistols and several knives. They boarded the train at Ludhiana and threatened the eight passengers at about 6:15 am. They left after pulling the chain and fled to the fields.
They took away Rs 2,700 and two mobile phones from the passengers. Before leaving, they locked the victims in the toilets of the coach. No one tried to follow them though police guards were present in the train. The police personnel were not in the last coach, which was not connected internally with the train.
The deceased was identified as Swaran Singh of Basti Jodhewal in Ludhiana, who worked as assistant lineman with the Haryana State Electricity Board. He used to commute daily to Ambala. He grappled with the dacoits, was stabbed thrice and died on the spot. The injured were Mukesh, a migrant labourer, Dharminder and Parveen Kumar. Mukesh suffered head injuries while the other two suffered minor stab injuries.
The train halted near Jaspalon for about 10 minutes, after which it proceeded to Khanna. It left Khanna around 9:30 am after the Government Railway Police and the Railways completed legal formalities.
