Constables extorting money from commuters at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus shed uniforms to evade CBI in action-packed chase
Constables extorting money from commuters at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus shed uniforms to evade CBI in action-packed chase
THE cat-and-mouse chase between CBI sleuths and erring Railway Police Force (RPF) constables at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus yesterday was straight out of a Bollywood potboiler.
Undercover officials from CBI's anti-corruption wing started an operation at the station at 9.30 pm to nab RPF men who bullied and extorted passengers, after they received complaints.
While the CBI managed to nab five RPF personnel, another five gave them the slip.
Rs 100 to board train
Disguised as commuters, four CBI aides stood in a queue to board the Gorakhpur bound Kushinagar Express, while another four looked on. Soon, the drama unfolded.
One of the CBI aides, Mohammed Shabbir, said, "When we stood in queue one of the RPF officers approached me and asked for Rs 100. He said only then would we be allowed to get inside the train.
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Coolie No 420: One of the RPF constables who stripped and pretended to be a porter. The cops hid their uniforms at various places in the RPF office at the station. |
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The moment I handed him the money, our officers swung into action."
This put the other RPF constables, also extorting money from commuters, on alert.
They began fleeing as they sensed trouble.
RPF or coolie?"We ran behind the constables, but when we reached the RPF office after a 10-minute sprint, we saw a man panting. He wasn't wearing a uniform, but was in a half pant and vest.
I got suspicious. When we questioned him, he said he was a coolie. However, a senior officer recognised him as the RPF constable asking commuters for money and we caught him," he added.
With most RPF personnel shedding their uniforms and posing as porters, it became difficult for the CBI to spot them.
"Some of them threw the money they had collected, got rid of their uniforms and started off loading goods at the station. Some escaped, some we caught," said another CBI aide.
K Babu, deputy superintendent of police, CBI confirmed the incident. He said, "This was a very different kind of raid.
The RPF officers gave us a tough time during the raid, but finally we caught them. The hunt for those who escaped is on."
However, Babu didn't give out the names of the officers arrested. "Once the investigations are over, the names will be revealed."
