Gang of train robbers busted, three arrested

NEW DELHI - Three men accused of robbing passengers on a moving train were arrested, police said Monday.

Sohanveer, 23, Omveer, and Mobeen Khan, both 19, are residents of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and were involved in similar criminal activities earlier, police said. They were addicted to drugs and alcohol and committed crimes to fund their addiction.

“They along with their associates boarded the Gareeb Nawaaz Express train from Old Delhi Railway Station on the night of Feb 8-9. Brandishing knives and broken beer bottles, they robbed 17 passengers. They got off at Shahdara Railway station in east Delhi after robbing Rs.56,000 in cash, five mobile phones and jewellery,” a police official said.

According to police, they received a tip-off Sunday that the gang would assemble at Zakhira in north Delhi around 8 p.m. to commit another robbery by boarding trains from Sarai Rohilla railway station in north Delhi.

“The trio were arrested and three daggers and mobile phones that they had robbed from the passengers on trains were recovered. They also named their associates — Shadab, Goru and Santosh,” added the official.

Belonging to poor families and addicted to drugs and alcohol, the men took to crime. They would usually commit the robberies in the wee hours of the night and never targeted the same train again, said police.

“Sohanveer, Shadab and Goru had been arrested earlier too. After they got out from jail, they assembled the gang and also lured Omveer and Khan to join them,” the official added.