Transgender held for threatening flower vendor, stealing money with toy gun

Accused Praful Balkrishna Panchal

The Borivli Government Railway Police on Thursday arrested a transgender for threatening a woman flower vendor with a toy gun on a local train and robbing Rs 4,000. According to the GRP sources, there were only four women inside the compartment when the incident took place.

The officers said the flower vendor boarded the train at Dadar to go to Vasai, while the accused Praful Balkrishna Panchal got on the train at Andheri station. Panchal, who seemed to be in an inebriated state, demanded money from the complainant.

On refusing, Panchal removed a gun from his pocket and threatened the woman. The complainant then immediately took R4,000 from her purse and handed it to Panchal. When the train reached Borivli, Panchal jumped off on the track and boarded an express train which headed to Mumbai Central.

After registering the complaint, a team of GRP officers scanned the CCTVs of the railway platforms at Borivli, Mumbai Central and Andheri stations and identified him.

"Our officers tried to locate the accused at various spots. On Friday, we spotted Panchal at Vile Parle station and arrested him," said Anil Kadam, the senior police inspector of Borivli GRP. The probe revealed that Panchal had bought a toy gun from a store at Andheri and used it to threaten people and steal money.

"Panchal is a history-sheeter and has a complaint registered against him at various police stations, including Andheri GRP, for robbery and assaulting a man with a knife. Panchal was produced before the court and was remanded in police custody," Kadam added.