NEW DELHI, June 6 � Railways have admitted that cases of drugging and looting are rampant in the Mumbai-Varanasi and Delhi-Guwahati sections and identified 13 trains as the worst affected ones, reports PTI.
�It is an organised crime. We identified 13 trains in which such incidents are frequently reported and have taken certain measures to prevent the menace,� a senior Railway official said.
�The unscrupulous elements offer passengers drug-laced biscuits, cold drinks, tea or coffee and make them unconscious before looting their belongings,� the official said.
The Mahanagri Express, Tapaswani Express and Kalka Mail are among the 13 worst-affected trains identified by the Railways for frequent drugging incidents, he said.
Other �vulnerable� trains include Mumbai-Ferozpur Punjab Mail, Delhi-Guwahati North East Express, Delhi-Dibrugarh Brahmaputra Mail, Delhi-Guwahati Awadh Express and Mahananda Express, the official said.
The Mahanagri Express and Kamayani Express running between Mumbai-Varanasi sector alone reported 38 such cases last year.
Twenty-four drugging cases were reported from Mumbai- Varanasi Mahanagri Express followed by Puri-Hatia Tapaswani Express (18), Howrah-Kalka Mail (17), Mumbai-Varanasi Kamayani Express (14), Delhi-Jalpaiguri Mahananda Express (12), Delhi- Guwahati Awadh Assam Express (11) and Ferozpur-Mumbai Punjab Mail (9) in 2009.
While eight drugging cases each were reported from New Jalpaiguri-Danapur Capital Express and Delhi-Katihar Amrapali Express, Delhi-Guwahati North East Express witnessed 10 cases, Howrah-Jodhpur Express, Delhi-Dibrugarh Brahmaputra Mail, and Nagpur-Tatanagar passenger trains witnessed nine, five and four cases respectively last year.
A total of 957 drugging incidents were reported last year while 200 such cases were registered and 41 persons arrested during January-April this year, the official said.
�We have identified certain stations as prone to such crimes. Constant vigil, awareness campaign and increased patrolling are some of the steps undertaken to prevent the menace,� he said.
