Armyman, father killed in robbery

Munger: A retired high school teacher, Kapildeo Mandal (70), and his armyman son, Lance Naik Keshav Kumar, hailing from Dan Tola in Khagaria district were killed during a robbery in a sleeper compartment of 12350 Down New Delhi-Bhagalpur Weekly Superfast Express.

“The incident occurred on the running train near Abhaypur railway station between Jamalpur and Kiul railway stations of East Central Railway,” said Shivendra Kumar Anubhavi, the deputy police superintendent (GRP, Jamalpur).

“Around 5am, six train robbers entered the S-2 sleeper coach of the train and snatched Keshav’s gold chain. The youth resisted and a scuffle broke out with the criminals.

Later, the criminals dragged the armyman to the door of the compartment and pushed him off the running train. Keshav was run over. Kapildeo rushed to save his son from death but was also run over by the train,” said deputy superintendent (rail) Shivendra Kumar Anubhavi.

“My deceased brother, Keshav, was returning from Allahabad by train with his parents, wife and three children. He had invited his parents to Allahabad for sight-seeing of historical places, as his special training in the army camp there was nearing end. They were returning to Khagaria,” said Harendra Kumar, Keshav’s elder brother.

“But my brother and father sacrificed their lives fighting train robbers alone. There was no police escort party on the train to help the duo,” said Harendra sitting outside the Munger post-mortem house.

“The incident took place around 5am. On being requested, co-passengers stopped the train by pulling the chain. Keshav’s wife, Rekha, plucked courage, alighted from the compartment and began to collect pieces of her husband’s body which were strewn on a long stretch of the rail track. Seeing this pathetic scene, villagers of the area became infuriated and paralysed train movements on Up and Down rail tracks for six hours between Jamalpur and Kiul rail section of East Central Railway,” added Harendra.

“Now Rekha faints off and on and is not in a condition to narrate the incident. She has two minor daughters and a son,” he said.

Railway police (Jamalpur) have lodged a criminal case and have begun investigation in this connection,” Aamir Javed, the superintendent of GRP (Jamalpur) told The Telegraph on Thursday.

Courtesy: The Telegraph