Railways weed out 'cancer', transfer 14 tainted cops

RPF personnel were caught last year for extorting from passengers on UP-bound trains

FOURTEEN tainted Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel from Mumbai have been transferred to mofussil areas for alleged corruption.

All 14 officers were given the marching orders on Saturday. One of them, Senior Inspector Arvind Kumar Yadav, has been transferred to as far as Assam.

Senior Divisional Security Commandant Pravinchandra Sinha confirmed the transfers of the personnel.

"While Yadav has been posted to Assam, the other officers have been transferred to other places across the country."

Caught last year

In November last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) Anti-Corruption wing had carried out a raid at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Kurla. The CBI had been tipped off about high-level corruption at the terminus.

It was after this raid that the 14 RPF officers had come under the CBI scanner.

The CBI launched an inquiry against the officials for extorting money from passengers travelling on trains bound for Uttar Pradesh.

During interrogation, the RPF jawans confessed to extorting between Rs 50 and Rs 100 from passengers who boarded unreserved compartments of long-distance trains.

"The jawans confessed to giving a huge cut of the money to their boss, Yadav," said a CBI source who did not wish to be named.
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The probe revealed that the extortion money was collected and distributed from a milk stall at the railway platform.

All the RPF officials were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. In December, the CBI arrested Yadav and a chargesheet was filed against the 14 personnel.

"The chargesheet has statements of over 25 witnesses," said sources in the CBI.
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"These officers were cancer of the railways," said Samir Gandhi of the All India Railway Passengers Association who has been fighting against corruption in the railways.

Hall of shame

Senior officers
1 Senior Inspector Arvind Kumar Yadav (Assam)
2 Sub-Inspector Harimohan Niranjanu00a0(Uttar Pradesh)
3 Assistant Sub-Inspector Garjan Lal Warkade (Assam)

Constables
4 Head Constable Ramashraya Yadav (West Bengal)
5 Head Constable Siya Saran (Secunderabad)
6 Ravindra Sahani (Tamil Nadu)
7 Baban Tayade (West Bengal)
8 Vinod Kumar Yadav u00a0u00a0(Uttar Pradesh)
9 Ashutosh Singh (WB)
10 Ravindra Kailash Gangle (Uttar Pradesh)
11 Yogendra Singh Suman (UP)
12 Rajesh Ubale (Assam)
13 Vinayak Thore (Jharkhand)
14 Meghraj Ratan Patil (Haryana)