Jewellery Merchant Robbed at Mumbai Central by Men in Khaki; 3 Railway Police Personnel Suspended

Mumbai | August 20, 2025: A 37-year-old jewellery merchant from Rajasthan was allegedly assaulted and robbed by three unidentified men in khaki uniforms at Mumbai Central railway station on August 10. The incident, which took place on platform no. 5, has led to the suspension of three Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel. Despite the suspensions, no arrests have been made yet.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the victim, Kuldeep Kumar Soni, a resident of Churu, Rajasthan, had come to Mumbai with his daughter to celebrate Raksha Bandhan at his sister’s home. On August 10, while returning to Rajasthan via the Duronto Express, he arrived at the Mumbai Central station at around 10:30 p.m. along with his 8-year-old daughter Bhavi and brother-in-law, Dinesh Soni.

While waiting on platform no. 5, Soni was approached by a man in khaki uniform, without a nameplate, seated at a table. The man demanded to check his bag and found a 14-gram gold piece and Rs.31,900 in cash. Despite Soni’s explanation that he had purchase receipts, the man allegedly verbally abused and assaulted him in front of his daughter. He then summoned two other men in khaki uniforms. The trio allegedly took the family to a dimly lit room near the platform, where they pretended to conduct an official inquiry.

There, the complainant says he was further beaten, forced to sign a blank piece of paper, and threatened with arrest. His young daughter was traumatised by the ordeal and began to cry. Before the train’s departure, the three men took the gold bar and Rs.31,000 in cash, returning only Rs.1,900.

After reaching home, Soni filed a police complaint on August 18 at the Ratangarh police station in Rajasthan. The case was later transferred to the Mumbai Central GRP. An FIR has been registered under Section 119(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for voluntarily causing hurt to extort property.

In response, Rakesh Kalasagar, Commissioner of Mumbai Railway Police, announced the suspension of Assistant Sub-Inspector Lalit Jagtap, Head Constable Rahul Bhosale, and Constable Anil Rathod. Four additional officers have been transferred to headquarters pending further investigation.

"The accused officials have been suspended, and a departmental enquiry is underway. We are committed to a fair and transparent investigation," Kalasagar said.

Meanwhile, the police have yet to identify or arrest the three men involved in the robbery, raising serious concerns about passenger safety and the misuse of uniformed authority within railway premises.