Girl pushed from train in robbery bid

Representational Image.

A 19-year-old girl was Thursday pushed from a train near Virar by a man who tried to snatch her bag, police said. The Government Railway Police (GRP) is now on the look-out for the man, suspected to be in his 30s. According to the police, the victim, Komal Chavan, works at a lottery shop in Virar. She boarded the 9.49 pm Churchgate-bound train to return home to Nalasopara. Spotting Chavan alone, the suspect boarded the women’s compartment. While rules mandate railway policemen to guard women’s coaches after 9 pm, no guard was present in Chavan’s bogey.

According to the police, the suspect demanded money from Chavan and ordered her to give him her bag. When Chavan refused, he dragged her towards the footboard. By now, the train had picked up speed and was about to leave the platform. When Chavan still refused to give him her bag, the suspect pushed her from the train. Chavan landed on tracks near platform 8 at Virar. She was rushed to a local hospital and operated upon on Friday, as her right shoulder was dislocated in the fall. Her condition is now reported to be stable.

The police has registered a case under Sections 393 (robbery attempt), 394 (causing hurt in committing robbery) and 356 (assault or criminal force in attempt to commit theft) of the IPC against the unidentified person and are going through the CCTV footage from the platform to identify him.