Fake RPF personnel caught travelling ticketless in Mumbai AC local train

Central Railways ticket checking staff apprehended a man posing as a Railway Protection Force RPF personnel while travelling without a valid ticket in an airconditioned AC local train between Mumbairsquos Mankhurd and Wadala Road stations officials said on TuesdayThe incident took place on the evening of June 7 during a routine ticketchecking drive conducted by Travelling Ticket Inspectors TTIs Shraddha Salunkhe and Ketki KadamAccording to Central Railway when asked to produce his ticket the passenger identified himself as an RPF personnel and showed an identity card of the force However he failed to produce any valid travel authorityThe identity card appeared suspicious and the passenger was unable to satisfactorily answer questions posed by the ticket checking staff raising doubts about his claim the Central Railway said in a press releaseThe passenger who identified himself as MD Malang Khan was subsequently taken into custody and handed over to the RPF and the Government Railway Police GRP A case was registered at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Railway Police StationA first information report FIR has been lodged against the accused under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS 2023 Further investigation is underwayCentral Railway urged passengers and staff to remain vigilant against impersonators and unauthorised persons claiming to be railway officialsImpersonation of government servants is a criminal offence Genuine RPF personnel carry official identity cards and cooperate during ticket checking duties Central Railway said in a statementPassengers have been advised to immediately report suspicious individuals claiming to be railway staff through railway helpline 139 the nearest RPF post or onduty railway personnelFake RPF officer kidnaps labourer from train in Thane demands Rs 10000 ransomIn a similar incident of impersonation a 27yearold labourer was allegedly kidnapped from a longdistance train last month in Maharashtrarsquos Thane district by a man posing as a Railway Protection Force RPF officerThe accused allegedly assaulted the labourer forced him off the Hatia Superfast Express at Kasara railway station and later demanded Rs 10000 from his family for his releaseAccording to police the incident took place on Sunday on board the Hatia Superfast Express which was travelling from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to Hatia in JharkhandThe labourer identified as Sunil Narayan Saw was travelling in the general compartment with friends when an unidentified man approached him claiming to be an RPF officerOfficials said the suspect dressed in a green shirt and black trousers accused Saw of allegedly misbehaving with a female passenger before assaulting him and taking him off the train claiming he was being taken for questioning at a police stationAccording to the complaint filed by the victimrsquos cousin the accused later contacted the family using Sawrsquos mobile phone and demanded Rs 10000 for his release through UPI transfer threatening consequences if the payment was not madePolice said the complainant initially transferred Re 1 to verify the account details provided by the caller The amount was received after which the accused continued demanding the remaining moneyRealising that Saw had likely been abducted the family approached the Asangaon Railway Police and lodged a complaint A search operation has been launched to trace the victim and the accused