Buxar: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested a ticket tout during a special drive at Raghunathpur railway station on Friday and, in a separate operation on Thursday night, nabbed three men for allegedly stealing passengers’ cellphones at railway stations and on trains. A Tatkal ticket and four phones were recovered in the two operations.The action was taken under Operation Uplabdh as RPF personnel intensified surveillance at railway reservation counters. The arrested tout was identified as Vikas Kumar, a resident of the Brahmpur police station area in Buxar district. A sleeper-class Tatkal ticket for a future journey was recovered from him.The RPF said further legal proceedings were underway. The drive was conducted under the direction of Kundan Kumar, inspector-in-charge of the RPF post in Buxar. The force has stepped up surveillance and raids at reservation counters in view of the expected rise in passenger traffic during the festive season.In a separate operation on Thursday night, the RPF arrested three suspected thieves and recovered four cellphones, including three smartphones and a keypad phone, during patrolling and surveillance.The arrested men were identified as Chandan Kumar (29), a resident of Gagora village in Buxar district; Shahabuddin Khan alias Bora, a resident of West Maula in Naya Bhojpur; and Mohammad Murad Khan alias Munna, a resident of Chakwa under Dhangai police station in Bhojpur district.According to the RPF, the three allegedly admitted during questioning to stealing phones and other valuables from passengers at railway stations and on trains.The arrests were made under Operation Passenger Security on the directions of Danapur division senior divisional security commissioner Uday Singh Pawar and under the supervision of RPF post in-charge Kundan Kumar.The RPF handed over the three accused and the recovered stolen phones to the Govt Railway Police (GRP) for further legal action.
