Distressed Sunita Kumari shared a video from coupe E of the H1 coach, expressing anger and disappointment over the theft and lack of police response
LUCKNOW: A couple travelling with their one-year-old child in a First AC coach of a train alleged that gold jewellery worth Rs 7-8 lakh and around Rs 35,000 in cash were stolen from their locked coupe at Lucknow’s Charbagh railway station in the early hours of November 2. The incident occurred around 1.20am aboard train number 15726, when Umesh Kumar, 31, his wife Sunita Kumari, 30, and their child were travelling from Anand Vihar to Deoria on berths E13 and E14 of H1 coach. We first encountered police personnel at Gonda after contacting emergency helpline 112,” Umesh alleged. The train, running one hour and 40 minutes late, arrived at platform number two of Charbagh station at 1.15 am and departed for Gonda at 1.35am, according to the National Train Enquiry System (NTES). Umesh claimed he contacted railway helpline 139 around three times, but the operators only registered his complaint and provided a reference number. The couple subsequently lodged a Zero FIR with GRP Deoria around 9am on November 2.
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He said police personnel who subsequently met them at Gonda station demonstrated how the door could be opened from outside even when locked from within. I kept asking them how that would help us,” he said. Sunita said in the video.
Despite repeated calls to the railway helpline and pulling the alarm chain three times, no GRP or RPF personnel turned up to assist them at the station, the couple claimed. Following the theft, Sunita alerted the onboard travelling ticket examiner (TTE), while the couple pulled the alarm chain repeatedly to stop the train from leaving Lucknow. “Despite pulling the chain three times and making several calls, no policeman came to help us at Charbagh. The GRP and RPF police stations are located on platform number one. Trains ordinarily have RPF or GRP personnel deployed for security duties. However, it could not immediately be ascertained whether a security squad was present aboard this particular train. No immediate assistance followed, he alleged. “By the time they forwarded the complaint, the train would have left the station. Meanwhile, a video of Sunita narrating the incident has surfaced on social media. In the video, she expressed anguish over the lack of police assistance despite repeated calls and alarm chain pulling. “This is Yogi’s govt, yet there has been no response. Tell me, what am I supposed to do? Nobody is coming to help us. If we are not safe even inside a locked cabin, where will we be safe? Fortunately, my child was not abducted. What would I have done if someone had taken my child? Download the TOI App.
Umesh, who works with a private firm in Delhi, married Sunita in 2023. Its present value would be Rs 7-8 lakh. Around Rs 30,000-35,000 in cash was also stolen,” Sunita told TOI.
Speaking to TOI, Umesh said he had fallen asleep on the upper berth while his wife and child were sleeping below. When she noticed him, he apologised, claiming he had mistakenly entered the wrong cabin, and walked away,” Umesh said. GRP Charbagh SHO Dharamveer Singh told TOI, “We have reached out to the victim to ascertain the sequence of events. He said the doorway was repeatedly opened and closed.
The family, originally from Bhore in Bihar’s Gopalganj district, was heading home to celebrate Diwali and Chhath. The coupe was locked from inside. “My wife suddenly woke up and saw a tall, heavily built man dressed in black standing inside the coupe. He appeared to be putting something into his pocket. Within a minute, Sunita discovered that her purse had been ransacked and the jewellery and cash were missing. “The jewellery was purchased during our wedding. Umesh claimed that the intruder had managed to open the coupe door from outside despite its being locked internally. The probe is on. The Zero FIR copy is yet to be received from GRP Deoria. TOI also attempted to contact the onboard TTE, from whom the couple had sought assistance, but his phone was switched off. Umesh further claimed that he had noticed frequent movement through the connecting doorway between the First AC coach, the 19th coach from the locomotive, and an adjoining general coach during the journey.