New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) In a swift operation, the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the local Crime Branch of Maharashtra solved a high-value theft case involving diamond and gold ornaments along with cash worth about Rs 40 lakh within 48 hours, the Railway Ministry said on Monday.

The incident occurred aboard the Indore-Daund Express, in which a 73-year-old lady was travelling from Indore to Lonavala with her husband.

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Officials said when she woke up in the morning on June 20, the train was about to reach Lonavala and it was then that she realised that her handbag was missing.

The bag contained valuable jewellery, including a diamond bracelet, diamond necklace, rings, gold watch, gold chain and Rs 50,000 in cash worth a total of about Rs 40 lakh.

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"She immediately called the Indian Railways helpline number 139 and an FIR was lodged with GRP Lonavala. The GRP, RPF and railway officials made different teams and sent them to different stations where the train stopped," the officials said.

Police officials said the RPF and the GRP scanned the CCTV footage of all the stations through which the train passed.

It has a long route passing through several stations such as Indore, Dewas, Ujjain, Nagda, Khachrod, Ratlam, Meghnagar, Dahod, Godhra, Vadodara, Surat, Vasai Road, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan, Karjat, Lonavala, Chinchwad, Pune and Daund.

"It was found that one person deboarded the train at Kalyan and did not come out of the station in time. Further, he was tracked. At one probable location, he kept himself very watchful and was looking for dodging police as well as the cameras," the press note said.

"On further investigation, it was found that he was a habitual thief and was on bail for the last 15 days. Police raided his premises and found all the valuables. Based on this lead, a team of investigators traced the accused, Mahesh Arun Ghag alias Vicky, a resident of Chembur, Mumbai."

The entire stolen property was successfully recovered and handed over to the family.

"This case underscores Indian Railways' and Maharashtra police's strong commitment to passenger safety and swift criminal response. Passengers are advised to remain vigilant during travel and immediately report suspicious activity to railway staff or helpline 139," the ministry said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)