Residents of the slums attacked the Okha-bound Okha-Puri Express train with stones, and critically injured three passengers travelling in the coach.
Known as an entry point for drugs and liquor, Uttkalnagar slums near the Surat railway station were in the news again, late in the night on Monday. Residents of the slums attacked the Okha-bound Okha-Puri Express train with stones, and critically injured three passengers travelling in the coach. All this was done to take delivery of more than 35 packets containing white powder, which were kept in the train.
According to sources, the Okha-Puri Express left from Surat railway station at 1:15 am on Tuesday morning. As it approached the Uttkalnagar slums, it stopped automatically, even though no chain pulling occurred. The moment the train stopped, 10-12 persons started banging on the doors of the S-6 coach of the train, and asked passengers to let them in. The frightened passengers refused to open the doors, following which, more people joined in the crowd outside and started pelting stones.
In the meanwhile, two of the attackers entered the coach from an adjoining coach and opened the gates. More than 50 persons stormed into the compartment and started thrashing passengers travelling in it. A few of them then entered the bathroom, broke the roof with an axe and took out more than 30 packets hidden inside.
They collected all these packets, containing a white powder, in a jute bag, and alighted from the train. Interestingly, the train started soon after the attackers left the coach.
"When the incident occurred, there were no police men in the train or in the vicinity, even though Uttkalnagar is less than one kilometre away from the Surat railway station," one of the passengers said.
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