Thefts in parcel compartments of Ranchi-bound trains passing through Uttar Pradesh have been a recurring incident for the past two weeks. The reason that comes to mind first is flawed arrangements, but railway police personnel have reasons of their own to cite.
"There have been several cases of thefts in recent times, but they are something more than mere thefts. There are many angles involved here - irregularities on part of parcel agents, rivalry among parcel agents, involvement of insiders. Even if to a certain extent, security lapses are not the only factor working behind these thefts," said a railway police requesting anonymity.
Parcels from three trains - Sampark Kranti Express, Swarnajayanti Express and LTT Express - saw thefts of merchandise including shoes, laptops, cosmetics, television sets and more worth a total of Rs 23.5 lakhs within last fortnight alone. Interestingly, the doors to parcel rake were closed from the inside, but the shutter to parcel section was cut by thieves for entry.
"The system is that railways leases parcel compartments to agencies for shipping goods for four to five times. These compartments are the sole responsibility of the agency to which it was leased to and is neither monitored by railways nor by Railway Protection Force," said the official.
He continued, "The thefts have been carried out in an orderly manner, as if the thieves were aware of the inventory of goods being shipped in the parcel compartment. This raises suspicion that these thefts are an inside job."
There is yet another theory that the railway police department believes explains the thefts. Unhealthy rivalry among parcel agencies might lead to attempts to defame the competition and these thefts might be an attempt to achieve this goal, said the railway police official.
Of all the recent thefts, not all have been officially reported either. "Parcel agencies are more concerned with insurance claim on their stolen goods instead of recovering them. We are asked to provide paperwork which will help them get their claims, that's it," mentioned the railway police official.
According to sources, some parcel agents refrained from filing an FIR due to irregularities in paperwork related to the delivery of stolen items.
"Some four to five victims have registered an FIR and we have taken cognisance in some cases. Investigation is going on. The thefts are estimated to be carried out between Allahabad and Mugalsarai and are beyond our area of jurisdiction. But we are coordinating with RPF and railway officials there to solve the case. One of our team is recently in Bokaro investigating the matter," he assured.
