GUWAHATI, Jan 29 - The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Maligaon-headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway (RPF) has witnessed a success in its operations against antisocial elements, with 130 cases of theft of railway property being detected during 2016 leading to recovery of stolen property worth over Rs 2.21 crore.
Official sources said that during the entire year of 2016, RPF NFR also arrested 179 persons for being allegedly involved in crime against railway property.
�Detection of cases, recovery and arrest made in 2016 increased by 3.17 per cent, 294.6 per cent and 11.88 per cent, respectively, in comparison to 2015,� said an official.
In 2015, RPF had detected 126 cases and recovered property worth Rs 56.07 lakh, while arresting 160 persons.
On being contacted, NFR Public Relations Officer Nripen Bhattacharya said, �Through determined efforts and collection of actionable intelligence, RPF has been able to bust organised syndicate of criminals, including some who were operating in connivance with Railway staff.�
In addition, during 2016, a total of 12,281 cases were registered under various sections of the Railways Act, which is a jump of 28.48 per cent compared to 9,559 cases registered during 2015.
�There were arrests of 1,29,559 persons under the Railways Act, of which 12,580 persons were prosecuted. The total amount of fine realised in 2016 was over Rs 6.8 crore. The percentage of cases of arrest, prosecution and amount of fine realised increased in 2016 by 181.8 per cent, 20.34 per cent and over 262 per cent, respectively,� said an official.
A total of 444 persons were apprehended by RPF in the NFR zone last year under Section 141 of the Railways Act for �interfering with any means of communication in a train without reasonable and sufficient cause�.
Another 51 persons were apprehended under Section 143 of the Act for �unauthorised carrying on of business of procuring and supplying of railway tickets,� while as many as 4,112 were arrested under Section 144 for being involved in unauthorised hawking and begging in trains and on railway property.
Besides, 1,175 males were arrested under Section 162 of the Railways Act for travelling in compartments earmarked for female passengers.
�Rackets of unauthorised touts have been busted all over the NFR zone, in which some Railway employees have also been arrested and forwarded to the court of law for their involvement in touting activities and conniving with touts,� Bhattacharya said.
