Kurla terminus has spawned some of the most notorious rackets in the city. DNA exposes the handful of Hercules who stop the train you’ve just missed
Kurla terminus has spawned some of the most notorious rackets in the city. DNA exposes the handful of Hercules who stop the train you’ve just missed, albeit at a price
DNA came to know of the existence of the racket through the friends of Sameer Goswami (name changed on request), a Kolkata chartered accountant. On Sept 13, he was to take the Jnaneshwari Express back home to Kolkata at 8.30 pm but missed it. The train's next official halt is Kalyan at 9.30 pm and there was no way he was going to make it.
That's when he had this brush with the touts and got on to the train at an unscheduled stop just 20 minutes later. Here's the story in his own words, on phone from Kolkata:
“Just as I and my friend turned to go back, two short, bearded men literally pounced on us from nowhere.
“They told us they could put me on the train for Rs1200. At first we laughed it off but they persisted. They said they could stop the train anywhere and get me on board.
“There was something about their manner which suggested this is not the first time they would be doing it. They were hurrying us so much that we didn’t have time to think.
“And before we realised we were literally carted away into a waiting taxi. They demanded Rs1500 as fee.
“I told them the ticket to Kolkata cost me only Rs1300. So we struck a deal for Rs1200 and the taxi took off in a race against the train. As it turned out, it wasn’t much of a race. After ten minutes the taxi pulled along the railway tracks.
“We walked in the along the tracks for a few minutes and waited. In a few minutes, Jnaneshwari Express arrived. One of the men signaled to the driver and the train slowed down to a crawl.
“Eager to board, I moved forward. The men stopped me saying it would take another Rs200 to get the door opened from inside. I refused but realized that my luggage was still in their possession. I paid up the extra Rs200. The door opened from inside and I got on.
“It was not just any coach, it was AS3, my own. It was only after I sat down in my seat and spoke to the other passengers that I realized it was not just a case of a few taxi drivers making a quick buck but an organised racket which couldn’t be running without help from railway staff.”
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