Fake cop among five held for robbery

HYDERABAD: Four property offenders and a fake policeman were arrested on Monday by Railway police for robbing valuables from passengers. Stolen property worth more than Rs 2 lakh was recovered. Secunderabad Railway police arrested two bag lifters, G Prasad and G Mariadas both hailing from Darsi mandal in Prakasam. M Kantha Rao, railway police SP said the duo used to travel in Visakha and Chennai Express trains and steal ladies hand bags. The duo had stolen gold ornaments, mobile phones and other valuables.Another offender, A Prakash of Mettuguda, was arrested for theft of a gold ring and a mobile phone from a passenger. Prakash frequently visits the waiting hall at Secunderabad station and on February 2, he made friendship with Nikhil Shil from West Bengal. After making the latter consume alcohol, Prakash took away his ring and mobile phone. A pick-pocket Satish of Yousufguda was held for snatching away Rs 5,000 from K Ravi of Srikakulam district while the latter was boarding the Visakha Express at Secunderabad station.Meanwhile, Bellampally railway police nabbed a gas welder of NTPC Ramagundam, Mohd Umar for robbing an elderly passenger of Rs 1,100 by posing as a policeman. Umar had gone to a 'jatara' at Ramagundam recently where he found the identity card of a private security personnel. Brandishing it as an ID of a cop, Umar approached a 60-year-old passenger Ch Shankar of Maharastra at Mancheriyal station on February 11. On the pretext of questioning him, Umar asked the passenger to follow him to the police station. Fearing a case against him, Shankar gave away Rs 1,100.