The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Southern Railway, Palakkad Division, seized 201 unclaimed used mobile phones valued at approximately ₹10.05 lakh during a special drive on Monday in Mangaluru.
Special drives are being intensified by Southern Railway in view of the elections to Kerala and Tamil Nadu Legislative Assemblies this year. The seizure took place on Train No. 19578, Jamnagar - Tirunelveli Junction Express during a check conducted at 3 a.m. on Monday at Platform No. 3 of Mangaluru Junction Railway Station, said a release.
While inspecting the general coach of the train, RPF personnel noticed three unattended bags placed on the upper luggage rack. On suspicion, the bags were examined and were found to contain 201 used mobile phones of various brands. . The recovered mobile phones were seized under a seizure mahazar in the presence of two independent witnesses, following due legal procedure.
Further examination of the body-worn camera footage of the on-duty staff revealed the presence of two suspected persons in the coach around the time the bags were detected. Efforts are currently underway in coordination with the Crime Intelligence Branch and the divisional Crime Prevention and Detection Squad to identify and trace the suspects. The matter has also been shared with the Government Railway Police for further investigation.
