Mumbai: With the arrest of two men, a UP-based gang of thieves that stole valuables from sleeping passengers in long-distance trains has been busted by the Govt Railway Police (GRP). Four members of the gang are on the run.“With the duo’s arrest, 16 offences have been solved. Stolen gold and cash collectively worth Rs 22.24 lakh has been recovered,” said GRP commissioner M Rakesh Kalasagar.The two arrested accused were identified as Waqar Khan from Gazipur and Jugal Vishwakarma from Kanpur. Police said Khan is the mastermind and roped in different individuals for each crime. Though the gang has been active for seven years, this is the first time Khan and Vishwakarma have been arrested.The most recent offence was committed on a Coimbatore-Rajkot Express on May 23, where a sleeping passenger was looted of Rs 3.5 lakh. The two accused were held from Kalyan by the police. Th gang was active on Central Railway only — all prior offences were committed under the jurisdiction of Kalyan , Thane, Karjat and Dombivli GRP police stations, officers said. Police said the gang stole valuables from the luggage or picked pockets of sleeping passengers.
