Title - Cop tries to save women on rail tracks, ends up arresting them

Spotting two women on the railway track at the K R Puram railway station, constable Stephen decided to get them out of harm’s way.    But when he got closer to them, one of them started fleeing. Stephen realised that the women he was trying to protect were actually thieves. The two women have been identified as Lalitha (32) and her niece Sumathi (22), both natives of Bhadravati. They used to steal bags and suitcases from long-distance passengers.   The action unfolded at 6:51 am when the Chennai-bound Lalbagh Express arrived at K R Puram station. “Äfter Majestic and Cantonment, this is the station where more passengers board the train. As the train halts only for two minutes, there is scramble to board the train. Lalitha and Sumathi, who dress decently, used to strike at that juncture,” a railway protection force (RPF) personnel said.   In fact, the two had pushed aside female passenger Shantha when she was entering C-2 coach. Shantha did not suspect any foul-play and went about locating her seat (number 17) thinking that the two women were also passengers. However, she did not realise that her bag containing a mobile phone, cash and the train ticket was stolen by Lalitha and Sumathi.   The duo would have escaped with the booty had they not alighted on the tracks. Constable Stephen wondered: “Why are these women not using the foot overbridge?”    When Lalitha started running on seeing him, Stephen alerted fellow constables Shankar and Narayan, who succeeded in nabbing her. Sumathi was also arrested. The duo confessed to the crime.    Later, the cops sent a message to their counterparts at Bangarpet railway station with a directive that Shantha should be allowed to continue her journey. The cops summoned Shantha’s daughter Anandi Balaji, a resident of Akshaynagar in T C Palya, and took a formal complaint from her. The police are ascertaining the other crimes committed by the duo.