Brave railway police officer foils train robbery

A railway police official showed exemplary courage in foiling a train robbery in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh early Thursday, the railway announced.

Shaik Ibrahim, a sub-inspector with Railway Protection Force at Guntakal, fired two rounds from his service pistol at the robbers, who were hiding in the darkness at a place where the train had stopped due to the alarm chain being pulled.

The incident took place on Coimbatore-Mumbai LTT Kurla Express between Kosigi and Iranagallu Stations, about 80 km from Guntakal junction.

Shaik Ibrahim along with his team got down when the train was stopped due to the alarm chain pulling. P.M. Basha, the guard of the train, alerted them about the presence of some miscreants near that spot.

The sub-inspector and his team responded swiftly and alerted the passengers in sleeper coaches to close the windows.

The RPF team, which rushed to the rear of the train, came under heavy stone pelting by some miscreants from the nearby bushes. The team took cover near B-2 coach and Ibrahim opened two rounds of fire, forcing the miscreants to flee, said a statement by the South Central Railway (SCR) here.

Minister of State for Railways Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy has complimented the RPF team's action and announced individual cash awards of Rs.10,000 to Ibrahim, and Rs.5,000 each to Basha and two head constables.