New Delhi: A NEET-qualified man from a well-educated family has been arrested by the Agra Cantt Government Railway Police (GRP) for allegedly stealing jewellery and other valuables from passengers travelling in AC train coaches. The police have identified the accused as Puneet, a resident of Pilibhit, and his alleged associate Akash Pal, who is from Lucknow.
The arrests have also helped investigators trace thefts reported at Agra Cantt and Mathura railway stations, including incidents reported in February and August this year. Puneet’s educational and family background is different from the profile usually associated with the accused in the case. He himself had appeared for and qualified NEET, with reports suggesting that he had once planned to pursue medicine. They allegedly observed passengers and waited until they were asleep before opening their bags and taking jewellery, cash and other valuables. He reportedly accumulated debt and later began stealing from trains. The investigation also brought up Puneet’s claim about his girlfriend’s cancer treatment. They would travel in AC coaches, watch passengers and wait until they were asleep. Puneet would allegedly open a woman’s handbag and take a smaller purse containing jewellery or cash. The smaller purse was then handed to Akash, who would leave after the train stopped.
Agra Cantt GRP said the two men targeted passengers in AC-1, AC-2 and AC-3 coaches. The police have recovered jewellery and other stolen property worth around Rs 25 lakh from the accused. The police said he told them that he had spent around Rs 80 lakh on her treatment.
His father is a retired Army serviceman, his brother serves in the Air Force and his sister is a doctor, according to police. The police said women travelling with jewellery were among their main targets. The cops further said Puneet became accustomed to an expensive lifestyle involving branded clothes, watches, clubs and other costly habits. The police said he began stealing from trains around five years ago. Reports based on the interrogation said this expense, along with his existing spending habits and debts, was among the reasons he gave for needing more money. Puneet and Akash had a specific method, according to the police.
The police investigation has brought out a very different side of Puneet’s background. During the Covid period, he reportedly opened a hookah bar in Lucknow, where he met Akash.
He had been preparing for NEET and later moved into business, according to reports based on his questioning. The business suffered losses during the pandemic and was eventually shut down, according to the police.
