WR to expand CCTV web between Churchgate-Dahanu

Currently, 66% local train coaches under surveillance

Western Railways' (WR) authorities are looking to expedite the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the 123km-long suburban network from Churchgate to Dahanu. The move comes on the backdrop of the incident at Charni Road, wherein a man slashed a woman's throat on March 11-12, just a few days after International Women's Day was celebrated. The WR authorities have so far covered 66 per cent of local train coaches under the web of CCTV cameras.

According to WR officials, they have already installed CCTV cameras in 139 coaches reserved for women commuters out of around 211 women coaches planned on the 60-km-long ChurchgateVirar route. “We are working out on installing more

CCTVs inside the ladies coaches of local trains,” said a WR official.

This is an important safety feature, especially to keep tabs on crime and to act as a deterrent for criminals. It also helps nab culprits in case of a crime. The rail officials claim that these CCTV cameras capture footage in high definition with a 4K resolution that can grab faces without any pixelation.

Meanwhile, the railway police claimed that they have visuals of the culprit who slashed the woman's throat at Charni Road.

“These CCTVs can also identify a culprit based on similarity if his / her description is an 80 per cent match to the information we have,” explained an RPF officer from the Western Railways.

On March 11, the woman was travelling by local train from the Churchgate station. When the train reached Charni Road station, a man entered the women's compartment and attacked her with a sharp object. The culprit is on the run.

The CCTV footage of the incident shows the accused getting off the train after injuring the woman. The Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered a case in this regard and are looking for the accused on the basis of CCTV footage. The motive for the attack is yet to be ascertained.

There are 2729 CCTV cameras under the integrated security system on the Churchgate-Virar route. According to WR officials, out of the total 57-odd cases in February, at least 27 cases were solved with help of these CCTV cameras.