MUMBAI, June 2: Holiday specials to Gorakhpur are fast becoming a favourite target of train robbers, if the two robberies in the last two weeks are any indication. Four passengers of a holiday special bound for Gorakhpur were robbed of Rs 10,700 by knife-wielding robbers this afternoon at Vidyavihar.Mohammed Israil Buddhan (18) sustained injuries on his arm after being knifed at by four miscreants, who boarded the train between Kurla and Vidyavihar. As the train slowed down at a signal after Vidyavihar, the four brandished knives at Mohammed and his friends, demanding money. Mohammed was injured in the ensuing melee, and the robbers escaped with the loot as the train slowed down near Thane.Mohammed disembarked at Kalyan and lodged a complaint with the police. Kurla police, who are investigating into the incident, could not confirm if other passengers had been attacked.The modus operandi used by robbers in the last two robberies is similar. The train which leaves Kurla terminus slows down atVidyavihar signal to cross over to the main line. The miscreants barged into the general compartment at the crossing, brandishing weapons and proceeding to rob passengers. They then jumped off the train as it slowed down near Thane or Kalyan. They targetted the general compartment for easy pickings, avoiding reserved coaches, where chances of their getting caught was more.This is the second train robbery in the past two weeks and the fourth in the last two years. Three knife-wielding men robbed passengers of the same holiday special of nearly Rs 16,000 on May 11 at Vidyavihar. Two people were injured in the incident in which the robbers snatched chains and earrings from passengers.In 1996, passengers of Pawan Express were robbed of a few hundred rupees at Vidyavihar while last year, passengers of Kushinagar Express were the victims. Though four people were arrested in the Kushinagar Express robbery, they were subsequently released on bail.
