USRA

WR’s RPF HELP PASSENGERS RETRIEVE THEIR
LOST BELONGINGS UNDER OPERATION â€˜AMANAT’

Luggage worth more than Rs.14 Crore returned in last five years

WR RPF also takes strict action against illegal vendors under Operation Dusra in FY 2022-23

Western Railway’s Security department is continuously striving to facilitate enhanced security and convenience for its passengers. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) also plays a vital role to ensure the security and safety of their luggage & belongings. In this very direction, the RPF has taken a novel initiative to make it easier for passengers to get back their lost luggage. Regular drives & operations are being carried out in this direction. These operations are being carried out under the leadership of Western Railway’s IG cum Principal Chief Security Commissioner, Shri Praveen Chandra Sinha.

            According to a press release issued by Shri Sumit Thakur, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, some passengers forget to take all their belongings in a rush to board the train or leave the station. Under â€œOperation Amanat”, RPF personnel help in securing such belongings and restore them to the rightful owners. In the last five years (2019 to 2023^* upto March), under the Operation ‘Amanat’, RPF has retrieved luggage in 6905 cases valued at about Rs. 14.52 Cr. Out of these, 3876 bags, 489 purses, 61 jewellery items, 1996 mobile phones and 636 other items worth more than Rs. 14.52 Cr were handed over to passengers. The left behind luggage was returned to the passengers after due verification.

            Shri Thakur further added that, in the calendar year 2023, the RPF has retrieved luggage of 937 passengers valued at approx. Rs.2.19 Cr. Western Railway’s Railway Protection Force (RPF) work round the clock to provide a safe, secure and comfortable travel experience to the passengers. RPF has discharged the responsibility of protection of huge assets of railways spread far and wide across the country by taking preventive measures as well as measures for detection of crime against railway property.

Besides this, WR’s RPF made focussed efforts to prevent crime through the formation of special ‘Crime Prevention and Detection Squad’ teams at major stations and CIB teams to work under ‘Operation Dusra’ against illegal vendors. To make train operations smooth, several awareness programmes were organised by WR’s RPF to ensure safety and hygiene of passengers. In FY 2022-23, a total 57,517 unauthorized vendors were arrested under the penal provision of Section 144(1) of the Railways Act. Out of these, 20,195 unauthorized vendors were habitual offenders who were arrested repeatedly. Fines amounting to more than Rs.1.87 Cr were realised from such vendors. There has been an approx. 39.14% increase in the arrests of unauthorized vendors and  53.32% increase in fines realized in comparison to last year. Western Railway’s RPF are the sentinels o­n the rail and are committed to keep the railways safe.

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WR’s RAILWAY PROTECTION FORCE DISPLAYS
EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE IN 2022

Special initiatives, drives & operations conducted by WR’S RPF
throughout the year

Western Railway’s Railway Protection Force (RPF) tasked with the responsibility of security of railway property, passenger area and passengers, has been working round the clock for providing safe, secure and comfortable travel experience to the passengers. It has also become a crucial stakeholder in the national security grid by playing important roles in internal security, maintenance of law and order and providing bandobast during important national and state events.

According to a press release issued by Shri Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, WR’s RPF as part of the Railways is playing a vital role in assisting passengers, further working in this area, an MOU has been signed with BBA (Kailash Satyarthi Foundation) to prevent child trafficking over Railways and provide help to passengers especially women and children in need of care and protection. RPF has carried out several special initiatives, drives and operations in 2022 to help passengers with their lost belongings, provide a safe travel experience, save the lives of passengers, take strict action against touts, miscreants, putting criminals behind bars, etc. In the year 2022, under Operation “Jeevan Raksha”, going beyond the call of their duty, WR RPF saved the lives of 46 persons which included 24 males & 22 females without any care for their own safety, going far and beyond their call of duty. Under Operation “Nanhe Farishtey”, WR RPF rescued 649 boys and 325 girls with the follow-up action in coordination with CWCs and NGOs. During the year, under Operation â€œAmanat”, the RPF returned valuables worth more than Rs. 5.34 crore to their rightful owners. Under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, 409 cases were detected and property worth about Rs. 53.30 lakh has been recovered with the arrest of 1088 criminals. An astounding 51.89% increase has been seen in the detection of cases in comparison to 2021. Besides this, under the Railway Act, WR’s RPF registered more than 1.69 lakh cases and realised more than Rs. 4.54 Cr in fines.

Shri Thakur added that RPF supplements the efforts of the state police in the field of combating crime against passengers under Mission “Yatri Suraksha”. WR RPF attends to complaints received through Rail Madad, Twitter and Helpline No. 139 to redress passenger grievances. In the year 2022, RPF apprehended 553 offenders who were handed over to state police for legal action. Under Mission “Mahila Suraksha”, WR RPF has taken relentless action against offenders traveling in ladies coaches under Section 162 of Railways Act 1989 and realized more than Rs. 40 lakh in fines. RPF has also deployed “Meri Saheli”teams in 20 selected trains and has started “E-Meri Saheli” drive at major railway stations for the effective security of female passengers traveling alone. In order to give focused attention to the menace of smuggling of narcotics through railway system, WR RPF conducted drives under Operation Narcos and recovered contraband items worth more than Rs. 24 lakh and 09 persons were apprehended. Under “Operation Upalabdh”, WR RPF has played an important role to ensure the availability of reserved tickets to passengers. In this connection, journey tickets of more than Rs. 32 Crores illegally booked by touts were seized by RPF, with the arrest of almost 747 touts. Continuing in this direction, WR RPF detected a major case of issuing of e-ticket by the use of illegal software in Rajkot and recovered e-tickets worth more than Rs. 29 Crore. Under Operation Samay Palan, WR RPF has played a vital role in maintaining the punctuality of trains under which 3930 persons were arrested for the offense of unauthorized Alarm Chain Pulling.

Shri Thakur further added that WR’s RPF conducted more than 52,000 awareness programs were conducted by RPF to educate the public and rail users under Operation “Jan Jagaran”, regarding stone-pelting, trespassing, etc.  Under Operation Dignity, 191 passengers in need of care and protection were rescued. Under Operation â€œSatark”, WR RPF took action against the transportation of illicit liquor, Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), Tobacco & its products, unaccounted cash, precious items, smuggled, contraband goods, etc. Items valued more than Rs. 22 lakhs were recovered and total 461 persons were apprehended and handed over to concerned law enforcement agencies for legal action. Continuing its drives against unauthorized vendors/hawkers under Operation “Dusra”, RPF apprehended & prosecuted 55,672 offenders and realized fines amounting to approx. Rs 1.72 crore was collected.

Shri Thakur stated that RPF personnel acknowledge the responsibility of being "citizens in uniform" and will continue to secure, assist and serve in right earnest in the service of nation and its citizens to realize motto of the Force "Yasho Labhaswa"or "Attain Honour". Continuing in this direction, WR’s RPF personnel were awarded with the President’s Police Medal, Indian Police Medal & DG Insignia in the year 2022.

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