Chennai: RPF seizes drugs worth Rs 16.32 crore this year

Chennai: Railway protection force (RPF) of Southern Railway, on 461 occasions this year, had seized contraband goods worth whopping Rs 16.32 crore, which were smuggled in trains.

In a performance report, RPF said the perpetrators were handed over to the agencies concerned. During the period between January and November this year, RPF also arrested 263 persons involved in passenger-related crimes and handed over to government railway police (GRP), an RPF officer said.

According to the press report, RPF personnel, with the help of Child Help desks had rescued 818 missing and destitute children in major railway stations. “1,090 sick passengers were given medical assistance by RPF personnel posted in trains. For providing security and assistance RPF is maintaining a helpline number 182. We also redressed 412 complaints received through RPF Twitter handle,” the official added.

To curb the number of able persons travelling in coaches intended for differently-abled, RPF had prosecuted 5,035 defaulters at various occasions. Nuisance from transgenders has been contained and 2,002 transgenders have been prosecuted,” the performance report explained.

“Apart from curbing crimes, RPF constables K. Shanmugam, Promod Singh and K. Jayaprakash rescued passengers who got stuck between platform and trains on three different occasions,” the RPF official added.

performance report

Up to November 2017, about 470 criminals were arrested under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act 1966 and recovered stolen railway property worth Rs 13.57 lakh. Moreover, Rs 3.15 crore had been collected as fine from more than one lakh defaulters under Railway Act 1989.