Chained mugs to fans — things rail travellers steal

NEW DELHI: THE RPF RECOVERED STOLEN ITEMS WORTH ₹2.97 CRORE IN 5,239 CASES IN 201718, UP FROM ₹1.58 CRORE IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR

From toilet mugs to ceiling fans, bed linen to blankets, little that’s of value escapes the attention of thieves on Indian Railways. Such items, together with showers installed in washrooms, iron grills of train windows, even railway tracks, were among stolen property worth ₹2.97 crore recovered by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in 2017-18.

That was double the value of stolen items recovered by the RPF in the previous year. The RPF also cracked down on thieves across its network, placing as many as 6,603 suspects under arrest.

“We have sometimes noticed passengers stuffing linen in their bag while deboarding the train. Theft of mugs and other iron material is common by drug addicts who later sell them. Apart from this, our main concern is theft of track materials, which can lead to accidents,” said an officer of the RPF, which is empowered to deal with theft and unlawful possession of railway property under the Railways Act.

A spokesperson for the railways said, “We conduct drives to catch the offenders as there are times when their deeds have even led to disruptions in train operations.”

Items likely to be targeted by thieves are categorised as engineering ( railway tracks, fish plates), mechanical (wash basins, mirrors, bathroom taps), signalling and telecommunication (overhead cables, solar plates, relay, telephones) and electrical (batteries, electric coach fans, switches) material. Of these, engineering materials are thieves’ favourite target.

“As these materials are spread over an expanse of almost 100,000 kilometres, they fall easy prey to thieves. But we need to curtail such thefts as they end up compromising passenger safety,” the RPF officer added on condition of anonymity.

In 2016-17, the RPF arrested 5,458 people in 5,219 cases of theft while recovering property worth ₹1.58 crore. The number of cases increased to 5,239 in 2017-18, with the recovery of items worth ₹2.97 crore.

While the RPF has a sanctioned strength of 74,456 personnel, it has a head count of just 67,000 – a majority of whom are posted at police stations across the country. This staff shortage is said to impede the force’s ability to conduct anti-theft drives on a regular basis.