12 December,2025 04:08 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Central Railway urged passengers to remain vigilant about their belongings and to contact the railway helpline on 139 in case of any emergency. Representational Pic
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Central Railway has solved a theft case within three days, leading to the arrest of the key accused and uncovering his involvement in another major robbery.
The incident occurred on September 20 aboard Train No 12167 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT)-Banaras Express near Jalgaon, where a woman passenger reported that her purse containing gold ornaments worth around Rs 3 lakh had been stolen. A case was registered with GRP Bhusaval/Jalgaon.
A special RPF team comprising assistant sub-inspectors and constables analysed technical evidence and human intelligence inputs, leading to the arrest of the prime accused, Mahesh Lingayat, on September 23, just three days after the incident. During interrogation, Lingayat confessed and also admitted to another theft on Train No 12905 Porbandar-Shalimar Express on December 26, 2024, where jewellery worth Rs 9.64 lakh was stolen. That case, too, had been registered with GRP Bhusaval/Jalgaon.
Following his statement, the GRP, assisted by the RPF, recently arrested two more suspects, Rajkumar Vishwakarma and Manoj Jadhav. A case under Section 305(C) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita has been filed against all three.
Officers said the coordinated effort showcased sharp intelligence analysis, effective use of surveillance technology and strong teamwork between the RPF and GRP, enabling the swift detection of both cases.
Central Railway urged passengers to remain vigilant about their belongings and to contact the railway helpline on 139 in case of any emergency.
Pranay Bhagat is deeply grateful to the railway cops. On December 6, he had lost a brand new iPhone on the train and was dejected by the thought that he would never get it back. "I had bought the new iPhone just last month and lost it in the train at CSMT on Saturday. Since the phone was new, I had not activated its safety mechanisms. I tried to track it down, but couldn't at my level. I had also filed a complaint with the railway police. I am so happy that I did so, because I got my device back. I'm so thankful to the railway cops," Bhagat said.
He was among thousands of Mumbai railway commuters, many of them emotional and happy, who had turned up at a huge gathering on Wednesday at the Police Grounds in Ghatkopar - the headquarters of the railway police department - where their mobile phones stolen on the city's local trains and stations were handed back to them after due verification.
Wrapped in a brown envelope in a plastic cover, many opened the packets to find their phone intact. "Of course, the data was gone, but I got my phone back. It has resale value," said Prathamesh Kadam.
How many phones...
"In total, 1018 phones have been returned to their original owners after due verification. Of these, 444 were recovered from Mumbai itself, 216 from Maharashtra and 358 from other states like Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. The total estimated value of the phones recovered is Rs 1.8 crore (Rs 1,80,33,668)," Mumbai railway police commissioner M Rakesh Kalasagar told mid-day.
These phones were recovered in the second phase of the operation between September and November 2025, stolen in the years 2023, 2024, and 2025. Under the first phase in June and July 2025, a total of 684 mobile phones worth R1,11,39,626 were recovered and returned to their owners on July 25.
Teams involved
During this special campaign, 28 teams from Central Railway and 29 from Western Railway - making a total of 57 teams - actively worked on this operation. Through their efforts, mobile phones stolen and taken across 17 states of India, and in Union Territories such as Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman, and Diu, were traced and recovered.
