“Consignments of gutkha and precious stones (diamond or bullion) are daily transferred from one station to another,” said a senior WR official, on condition of anonymity.

On an average around 300 tonnes of luggage is loaded in the luggage compartments of long distance WR trains daily. Elaborating on the modus operandi, a WR official said, “The angadias never purchase a confirmed ticket. They buy a sleeper class ticket minutes before the train departs and make sure that their tickets aren’t confirmed. They carry valuables weighing approximately 70 kg and make sure they are awake during the journey.”