Police in Andhra Pradesh’s Bapatla district fired nine rounds to thwart a robbery attempt aboard the Chennai-Vijayawada Sarkar Express in the early hours of Monday. The incident occurred around 1:10 a.m. near Appikatla railway station, between Bapatla and Appikatla, when unidentified individuals allegedly pulled the emergency chain, forcing the train to stop.
According to Bapatla Superintendent of Police B. Umamaheswar Rao, the suspects targeted passengers in the S-3 and S-6 coaches, attempting to snatch gold jewellery. Passengers raised an alarm, and the train was halted. The Government Railway Police (GRP) on duty engaged the robbers, who then jumped off the train and fled into the fields.
This is not the first such incident in the region. In a similar event on April 19, an attempted robbery on the Bengaluru-Narsapuram Express near Appikatla saw thieves snatching approximately 11 tolas of gold. In another incident three weeks prior, an attempted robbery near Nidubrolu, bordering Bapatla, involved tampering with railway signals.
In response to a series of such incidents, the Government Railway Police have intensified patrolling along the tracks. In one instance on May 12, GRP personnel opened fire on two suspicious individuals carrying wire-cutting equipment near Nidubrolu railway station. The suspects allegedly pelted stones at the police, prompting a response of ten rounds fired, though the individuals managed to escape.
Authorities have stated that police personnel have been given permission to open fire to foil attempts to tamper with signalling systems. Investigations are ongoing, with police teams conducting searches and examining evidence, including recovered stolen bags from the Sarkar Express incident. A suspect has reportedly been detained and is being questioned in connection with the latest robbery attempt.
The Chenab Times News Desk