A distressing incident of luggage theft has left a family from Hubballi in a state of shock and financial loss during a train journey. The event unfolded on board the Himachal Express, highlighting ongoing concerns about passenger security on Indian railways and the procedural challenges faced by victims when filing police reports.
The Midnight Theft on Himachal Express
The affected passenger, Waseem Byahatti, a resident of Makandar Galli in Hubballi, was travelling with his family. They were in sleeper coach S-5 of train number 14054, the Himachal Express, having boarded at Ambala Cantonment in the early hours of Thursday. Exhausted from the journey, the family fell asleep around 3:30 AM. In a cruel twist of fate, when Waseem woke up merely an hour later at 4:30 AM, he discovered that one of their bags was missing.
The bag was not just any piece of luggage; it contained valuable personal assets. The total estimated loss was a significant Rs 60,000. The stolen items included:
- A smartphone
- A gold mangalasutra weighing 6 grams
- A pair of headphones
- Sunglasses
- ATM and Aadhaar cards
A Frustrating Search for Help and Jurisdiction Hurdles
Reacting immediately to the theft, Waseem and his family began searching for on-duty Government Railway Police (GRP) or Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel within the train. To their dismay, they could not find any security staff present at that hour. Their next step was to file a grievance using the Railway Helpline number 139, hoping for swift intervention.
The ordeal, however, took a bureaucratic turn upon their arrival in Delhi. Hoping to formally register a complaint, Waseem approached the GRP in Delhi. Unfortunately, his request was refused. The authorities in Delhi stated that since the incident did not occur within their jurisdiction (the theft happened between Ambala and Delhi), they could not register the First Information Report (FIR).
Filing a Zero FIR from a Distance
Undeterred and still in transit from Delhi back to their hometown, the family devised an alternative solution. With the help of a friend present in Hubballi, they initiated the process of filing a Zero FIR at the Hubballi GRP station. A Zero FIR allows a police station to register a complaint regardless of the place of incidence and then transfer it to the appropriate jurisdiction for investigation. This step was crucial in setting the official legal process in motion, even as the family continued their journey home.
This incident sheds light on several critical issues faced by rail passengers in India:
- Security Gaps: The absence of visible security personnel in coaches during late-night hours remains a major vulnerability.
- Procedural Complexity: Victims of crimes on moving trains often face confusion regarding the correct jurisdiction for filing complaints, leading to delays and frustration.
- Valuables at Risk: It underscores the risk of carrying high-value items like jewellery and electronics during train travel, despite necessary precautions.
The Hubballi GRP is now expected to take up the Zero FIR and coordinate with their counterparts in the North Central Railway zone to investigate the theft on the Himachal Express. For Waseem Byahatti and his family, the hope for recovering their lost belongings rests on this inter-state police cooperation, even as they deal with the invasion of privacy and financial setback caused by the loss of their personal documents and valuables.
