Chennai: A 32-year-old man covered a railway signal with clothes to force a train to slow down so that he could board it and snatch a passenger’s chain on Tuesday.Govt Railway Police, who arrested Kumaresan of Villivakkam on Wednesday, said the incident happened around 6.30am on Tuesday between Kattankulathur and Potheri. The loco pilot of the Nellai Express, headed towards Chennai, slowed down the train as the signal ahead was not visible.That was when Kumaresan boarded the train and robbed a woman, Asutha of Tuticorin, of her four sovereign gold chain worth ₹4.75 lakh.Based on the woman’s complaint, a police team led by Egmore railway police deputy superintendent N Kavinna launched an investigation. The officers found that the signal was covered with a piece of cloth. They combed CCTV footage from railway stations and surrounding areas, which led them to Kumaresan.During interrogation, police found that he was an autorickshaw driver who often robbed passengers on slow-moving trains, usually in areas such as Basin Bridge. He also has pending cases at Chennai Central, Korukkupet and Royapuram railway police stations. He was also previously detained under the Goondas Act.Police said he had adopted the method of obstructing railway signals with cloth in suburban sections to slow down or halt trains before targeting passengers.Addressing the media people, Kavinna said the accused was arrested within 24 hours of the complaint. She advised passengers to remain vigilant during train journeys and immediately report suspicious movement or thefts to railway police.
