Four held for rice theft from freight train near Goelkera

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, Oct 17: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested four individuals involved in stealing rice from a freight train near Goelkera railway station under the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway.

A total of 101 sacks of rice and three Tata Magic vehicles used in the theft were seized during the operation.

The theft took place past midnight when the accused broke open the locks of several wagons of a rice-laden goods train.

Acting on timely information, an RPF team conducted a swift raid and apprehended four men red-handed while they were offloading the rice.

Several others managed to escape under the cover of darkness, prompting an ongoing manhunt.

Investigations revealed that the culprits had deliberately released the train’s vacuum pressure, forcing it to halt between Goelkera and Mahadevsal near pole number 348/8.

They then broke into multiple wagons and began transferring the stolen rice to vehicles. When the train remained unusually stationary, Goelkera station officials alerted the RPF.

A team led by R.K. Pandey, Station In-Charge of RPF Manoharpur, and Sub-Inspector Jayanandan Mishra immediately launched a night raid, successfully arresting the accused.

Three of them were identified as Tata Magic drivers from Chakradharpur. The rice sacks had already been loaded onto the vehicles and were ready for transport.

RPF officials confirmed that further raids are underway to nab the absconding members of the gang.

The incident has exposed a possible network involved in organized railway cargo theft in the region.