Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
The organised gangs of criminals, robbers and muggers attack passengers and snatch their valuables in cash and kinds at gunpoint in the running trains at night as the security measures are scanty.
Sometimes they throw out them from the running trains and escape safely.
The miscreants commit crimes at Railway Stations and junctions as well. Yet the passengers take risk to travel to meet their necessities.
Sometimes they commit robberies in the guise of passengers in the trains across the country.
Gangsters killed a Malaysian expatriate named Shafiqul Islam by throwing him out from the running train at Haydrabad in Gazipur district on January 17 at night.
A student of Chittagong University (CU) became a victim in the Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train near the Cantonment Station on May 10 last year. Identified as Nusrat Jebin, he was a student of Islamic History and Culture department. Saiful Islam, resident of Uttara, Dhaka, was thrown out from a train. He told The New Nation on Monday, “The security system in train is just a mockery as the number of the GRP men is five for several hundred passengers.”
“I witnessed the robbers to have thrown out five passengers at they refused to pay money and valuables near the Akhura Railway Station on January 23 this year,” he said.
“I was thrown with three persons from a train because we tried to resist robbery in train at Joydevpur in 2013. Three bodies were recovered later from the area,” said Sumon Hossein driving a rickshaw in Motijheel area recently.
At least seven organized gangs rob of passengers’ valueables in the locals and the intercity trains. They throw out the passengers from the running trains mainly in the Parbatipur, Santahar, Bhairab, Kishoreganj, Brahmanbaria, Comilla, Mymensingh, Gazipur, and Narayanganj areas. GRP sources said.
“The gang members take the position on the roof and near the doors of the bogies and the joining points of two compartments. They throw out the passengers from trains after snatching their valuables in two to three minutes only,” they said.
Accused Shariful Islam confessed to the police that they threw out three passengers after mugging goods and valuables.
According to Bangladesh Railway sources, at least 730 bodies were recovered last year, but only 20 murder cases were filed.
Another GRP source said that three bodies were recovered from Gazipur Sadar and Kaliakoir areas on October 7 in 2013, an youth’s body from Dhirasaram Railway Station on October 22 in 2014, while another one was recovered from Shimulia area in Gazipur district on March 22 in 2015.
Akhura Station sources said, at least 182 bodies were recovered from nearby Akhaura stations in last four years. Of them, 140 were men and 42others were women and newborn babies. Even. 155 bodies were buried as unidentified ones and 27 were handed over to their family members.
According to Gazipur district administration’s report, around 52 bodies were recovered from Gazipur under Dhaka Railway Division between July 8 and August 9 in 2012. The report also said that the victim were passengers of trains and their goods and valuables were robbed of. But the GRP labelled these as accidents.
Additional Director General (Operations) of Bangladesh Railway, East Zone told The New Nation on Wednesday, the authorities are trying to ensure the quality of service to the passengers. To a query about passengers’ security issue, he said, it is the duty of the GRP.
An Additional Inspector General of Police level GRP official admitted the poor security condition in trains.
“We have about 25,000 personnel to maintain the law and order on the trains and railway tracks. Even the logistic support is also not sufficient to take proper actions,” the GRP official said.
It is impossible to ensure the proper security for train passengers unless the authorities increase the man power and logistic support as per the requirement, he said.
