The Western Railway's Railway Protection Force (RPF) has successfully apprehended 121 individuals involved in crimes against passengers during the months of January and February 2024. With the invaluable assistance of CCTV cameras strategically positioned at railway stations, the RPF managed to not only identify suspects but also recover property estimated to be worth approximately ₹44 lakhs.
"The concerted efforts of the RPF have yielded significant results, with 100 cases of crime against passengers detected and culprits apprehended within the entire jurisdiction of the Western Railway during the initial two months of the year. Remarkably, more than fifty percent of these cases were resolved within the Mumbai Central division alone, underscoring the effectiveness of surveillance measures implemented in high-traffic areas" said an official.
Operation Yatri Suraksha
According to Sumit Thakur, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, RPF has made a special effort to contain the menace of theft of passenger belongings. Giving impetus to Operation Yatri Suraksha, Western Railway has installed 3912 CCTV cameras including 488 cameras with an inbuilt Facial Recognition System (FRS) which contains details of criminals along with their photos which are uploaded in the system to curb crimes against passengers.
Citing some recent cases, Thakur informed that recently the Crime Prevention and Detection Squad (CPDS) team of Andheri Post recently nabbed a thief at Andheri station by monitoring through CCTV footages and apprehended him. During interrogation, the suspect Vinod Prem Chand Gupta, aged 38 years disclosed his involvement in four different mobile theft cases. The theft incidents had occurred on different dates at Andheri station. After legal formalities, the accused was handed over to GRP/Andheri for further legal action. The accused had stolen mobiles worth approx. ₹90,000. Four theft cases have been lodged against him under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code.
Thakur further stated that the vigilant & alert RPF officials have nabbed the culprits in several such passenger-related crimes like theft & robbery and helped to retrieve the passenger’s belongings such as mobile phones, bags containing cash, valuables & important documents, wallets, etc. These anti-social elements involved are then handed over to GRP for further legal action.
The Western Railway authorities have lauded the dedication and professionalism exhibited by the RPF personnel, emphasizing their commitment to ensuring the safety and security of passengers traversing the railway network. "With CCTV surveillance proving to be a crucial tool in crime prevention and detection, the railway administration reaffirms its resolve to further enhance security measures to safeguard the interests of commuters" said an official.
