Latest news with #RakeshKalasagar
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
26k phones worth 62cr stolen on city rail network in 30 months
Mumbai: Over 26,000 cellphones collectively valued at Rs 62 crore were stolen from train passengers in Mumbai in two and a half years, between Jan 2023 and May 2025. GRP data shows that around 45% of the cases were solved (11,853) and phones worth Rs 20 crore were recovered in this period. Last month, after GRP commissioner Rakesh Kalasagar took charge, the department cranked up its efforts and recovered 500 stolen handsets. These phones will be returned to their owners at an event on Friday. Police keep tracking stolen phones for months afterwards. A special cyber cell has been set up at the GRP commissionerate to assist police stations with the task. "Whenever the buyer of a stolen phone that has been refurbished begins to use it, we search for his location and retrieve the phone," said an officer. There have been instances where refurbished phones sold in Mumbai turn up in Jharkhand, Bihar or Rajasthan. GRP teams have travelled all over the country to retrieve stolen phones. Buyers have also been booked in cases where they have knowingly purchased stolen phones. From drug addicts to organised gangs, investigators have apprehended a range of offenders over the years. Lately, a former health sciences student was nabbed by the GRP's crime branch with 21 stolen phones. Tufail Memon, 25, had dropped out after his first year. Police said he was hooked to online gaming and the need for funds drove him to crime. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai In a separate case, the GRP arrested a member of an inter-state gang of thieves that stole phones on the railways and also struck at crowded events like Ganga Aarti in Varanasi and Jagannath Yatra in Odisha to relieve visitors of their handsets. "The gang would segregate their loot into high-end phones and middle or low range ones. The high-end phones were sent abroad for sale, while the rest were sold locally to 'receivers'. These men could either take apart the spare parts or refurbish the phones for resale within India," said a police officer. Data with the GRP shows that phone thefts dipped slightly from 12,159 cases in 2023 to 10,981 in 2024. The detection rate has been somewhat the same-- 44% to 45%. "In some instances, individuals from low-income groups purchase refurbished phones from big metros and carry them to their hometowns or gift them to a family member in their hometown for use," the officer said. "Our advice would be to always buy a phone which comes in a sealed box and ask for a receipt."
Hindustan Times
16-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Cops to be deployed on all long-distance trains in Mumbai
Mumbai: Two recent robberies on board long-distance trains in the city have prompted the Government Railway Police (GRP) to step up patrolling and vigilance activities and crack down on gangs involved in luggage, jewellery and mobile phone theft. The GRP has launched a special campaign to trace mobile phones stolen over the past five years besides deploying personnel in long-distance trains, said Rakesh Kalasagar, railway police commissioner. 'Thirty-one long-distance trains leave Mumbai everyday,' Kalasagar said on Sunday. 'From now on, two railway police personnel will be deployed in each of these trains. They will patrol the entire train and protect passengers up to the limits of the railway police commissionerate, which will curb criminal activities.' Increase in crime On June 1, knife-wielding robbers targeted a Joesghwari-based family travelling via the Jaipur-Bandra Terminus Superfast Express after the train crossed Borivali and camped off with a trolley bag containing cash and valuables worth ₹7 lakh. Then, on June 5, a robber targeted Dipali Deshmukh, a Panvel-based doctor, travelling on board the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Nanded Special train when it was between Bhandup and Kanjurmarg. The robber dragged her till the door in a bid to snatch her purse, her husband following her – then he jumped off the moving train, pulling the couple down behind him. The incident cost Dipali's husband Yogesh Deshmukh, also a doctor, his left arm, which had to be amputated due to injuries caused by the fall. The robberies were indicative of increasing crimes on railway premises. According to data from the GRP, 12,000 cases of theft were registered in 2022, including cases involving theft of mobile phones. But in 2024, 11,143 mobile phones alone were stolen from railway premises, taking the monthly average of mobile phone thefts to over 928. Between January and May this year, over 3,576 mobile phones were stolen, taking the monthly average to over 715. Security measures The GRP has initiated several measures in light of recent incidents to increase security and prevent crimes on trains. The most prominent among these is a special campaign to prevent mobile thefts. A team has been formed under the campaign within the crime detection branch of every railway police station. 'These teams will conduct technical investigations and try to recover all stolen and lost mobile phones in their jurisdiction in the past five years,' said Kalasagar. Most mobile phone thefts occur when commuters try to board trains or when they use phones carelessly while travelling on trains, said the commissioner. 'Thieves often take advantage of large crowds that gather to board trains. Besides, many people are inattentive while talking and keep their phones in their hand while standing at the door, which makes snatching easy,' he said. Thefts of mobile phones, laptops and luggage are most common on railway premises, followed by molestation cases, said Kalasagar. Four railway police personnel are deployed in every local train including in ladies compartments to curb such cases, he said. 'Along similar lines, we will join forces with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and deploy two personnel on every long-distance train,' said Kalasagar. 'Most crimes are committed for the purpose of theft. Our teams will keep an eye on such activities and bring down crimes,' he said. 758 RPF posts vacant While efforts are underway to enhance security on long-distance trains, the RPF is severely understaffed, with 758 posts lying vacant. The vacancies span 25% posts for officers and 16% posts for employees. The recruitment process for the vacancies would be started soon, said Kalasagar.
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
1 person arrested in connection with Jaipur-Bandra Exp robbery
The Government Railway Police (GRP) has arrested one person in connection with the robbery of cash and jewellery worth ₹7 lakh on the Jaipur-Bandra Express last week. The arrested accused, Surendra Bhaleram from Haryana, was traced via CCTV footage. He is a part of a gang of thieves, said the police, who are tracking down four other gang members who committed the robbery. A special task force of the railway crime branch had found a gutkha packet and broken glass at the crime scene. Since the writing on the packet was in Gujarati, the police investigated the case in Surat and found a local gang involved in the robbery. 'The remaining accused from this gang will also be arrested soon,' said railway police commissioner Rakesh Kalasagar. Last week, when Ayub Khan, a construction businessman from Jogeshwari, was coming to Mumbai in the Jaipur-Bandra Express with his wife Hina, and two young children, the train slowed down after Borivali and four unknown men tried to rob the couple at knifepoint. The couple resisted and fought the accused but the robbers managed to escape by jumping off between Goregaon and Jogeshwari stations. The gang stole the couple's trolley bag, which contained ₹7 lakh worth of jewellery and cash. The Borivali GRP had registered a case of robbery under sections 309 (4) and 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the police had formed multiple teams to search for the accused.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Indian Express
Mumbra Train Accident: A passenger's bag hit bunch of commuters, and we fell down— survivors tell police
Thane Government Railway Police (GRP) have recorded statements of those passengers who survived the fatal tragic incident near Mumbra railway station on Monday morning in which four passengers died while rest nine sustained injuries. Two of the injured persons are critical and are undergoing treatment at the Jupiter hospital in Thane. 'Atleast two survivors, who are out of danger, told us that a bag hit the bunch of other commuters and due to its impact we all fell down. And since both the trains CSMT-Karjat and Kasara-CSMT were on high speed, passengers sustained severe injuries, on felling down,' said a senior GRP officer to The Indian Express. 'The four who died had sustained serious head injuries and subsequent excessive bleeding led to their deaths,' the senior officer added. The Thane railway police have registered four accidental death reports and have handed the bodies of the deceased to their families and are further investigating the accident. 'We are probing into the tragic incident. We are in process of recording statements of the eye witnesses and injured passengers to know what exactly happened. We would check if there was any negligence. We would also look into if there was any error with the railways structural design. Railways too may be conducting an inquiry into the matter and if they submits report highlighting any negligence then accordingly we would file an FIR and appropriate legal course will be taken,' said M Rakesh Kalasagar, commissioner Mumbai Railway Police. Another senior GRP officer said that such big local train accident did not occur in Mumbai ever. A GRP officer said there is a possibility that the tracks got pushed down a little due to the recent heavy rainfall in the area, tilting the trains a little more when passed through the curve, eventually reducing the buffer safety distance between trains, the officer indicated. Though the distance reduced between the tracks in this manner could be by a small margin, during peak hours, when passengers travel on the footboard due to overcrowding, it could lead to a small friction of passengers hanging in the door and could lead to fatal incidents. A thorough probe is, however, underway to ascertain the exact cause behind the incident.
