Former Kerala Health Minister and ex-Kannur Lok Sabha member P.K. Sreemathi was robbed while traveling by train from Kolkata to Bihar to attend a meeting of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA). The incident occurred when Sreemathi woke up during the journey to Samastipur, Bihar, and discovered her handbag missing. The stolen bag contained cash, gold jewelry, a mobile phone, and important documents, while her clothes remained untouched.
Sreemathi, who had spent two days in Kolkata before boarding the train, expressed shock at the theft, as she had never encountered such an incident before. She noticed several passengers leaving the compartment during the early morning hours, raising suspicions of organized theft. Despite alerting railway staff and pulling the alarm chain, immediate action was lacking.
Upon reaching a subsequent station, Sreemathi found other passengers reporting similar thefts, indicating a potential organized crime pattern. Dissatisfied with the initial police response, she criticized the lack of security measures and contacted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office for intervention. Following her complaint, senior officials from the Railway Protection Force assured her of a thorough investigation into the matter.
The incident highlights security vulnerabilities on long-distance trains, especially during early hours, emphasizing the necessity for a more efficient response system to address passenger-reported crimes on trains.
