A commissionerate police constable was arrested by the Railway Police for allegedly stealing a mobile phone from a railway technician on a passenger train.
The accused, Deepak Kumar of Giddarbaha, Muktsar, was deputed as a jail warden.
The complainant, Ajay Kumar, said he was traveling as a coach attendant on the Dadar Express on August 15 and had plugged in his phone for charging. He alleged that the accused, dressed in police uniform, stole his phone and jumped out of the train at the Ludhiana station.
The complainant managed to read the constable’s name on his uniform, but could not chase after him as he was still on duty. He had at the time raised an alarm, but the accused managed to flee.
Upon reaching Amritsar, he lodged a complaint at the railway helpline number — 139, following which the complaint was transferred to the Railway Police.
“The accused boarded the train from Dhuri station and he was captured in a CCTV camera exiting the Ludhiana station. He struck immediately after the train gained momentum at the station”, a senior GRP officer said.
Police said the accused was found sleeping on a bench at the Ludhiana station in an inebriated state on August 16. He was identified by the Railway Protection Force staff, who informed the GRP.
“He tried to flee from the spot, but we, along with the RPF, managed to chase him down. He eventually confessed his crime and was produced before a local court which sent him to judicial custody,” a railway police personnel said.
Accused had failed to repay past loan
Railway Police said the accused, a habitual drinker, was absent from his job for over a month, while sources said he would often board trains wearing the police uniform and commit similar crimes.
In addition, he has in the past also been booked for defaulting on a loan of ₹4 lakh on the complaint of a private bank staff.
Speaking of the same, an officer said, “He is a married man and remained depressed as he failed to pay back his loan.”
The GRP has booked the accused for theft and dishonestly receiving stolen property. Police said the accused had sold the stolen mobile phone to an unidentified person in Ludhiana ₹2,000. It has not been traced yet.
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