A gang hit the Patna bound Inter-City Express between Bakhtiarpur and Fatua railway station on Tuesday, looting cash, jewellery and electronic gadgets from the passengers.A day earlier, passengers of the Kolkata bound Hatia-Howrah Express were robbed by an armed gang near the Tatisilway railway station in Ranchi. On May 10, it had been the turn of passengers on the Hatia-Howrah Express, to get robbed near Letandih railway station. Prior to this incident, the Hatia-Pathankote Express was looted and two constables — one of the Army and another of the Government Railway Police (GRP) — were shot dead near Latehar on May 6.Strangely, all these incidents took place in the general compartments at night, when the trains were being guarded by armed GRP personnel. For instance, the May 24 incident unfolded when the GRP’s Hatia Police station officer Awadhesh Prasad was leading the escort in the train. ‘‘We were in the reserve bogey when the dacoity took place,’’ says Prasad. Officials blame the lack of coordination between law enforcement wings. While the GRP is supposed to look after security in the railway districts, there is little coordination between it and the state police. The shortage of trained forces is said to be another factor. The culprits behind the train attacks, according to officials, are educated, unemployed youth who have formed gangs ‘‘in pursuit of a fast buck.’’
