Passengers on the Mumbai–Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Express were targeted in a late-night jewellery theft after the train stopped between Lonand and Salpa, according to a report by Navbharat Times – Mumbai. Railway police have registered a case, while investigators are examining whether a signal wire was cut to bring the train to a halt.
The incident reportedly took place around midnight on Sunday, when most passengers were asleep. The report said the theft occurred near the windows of the S-1 and S-3 coaches. Two unidentified men allegedly approached the windows after the train stopped, pulled gold chains from two women and fled without entering the coaches.
The two complainants were identified as Sunita Gorakshnath Tupe, 44, a resident of Kanjurmarg East, and Surekha Babasaheb Khade, 40, from Khopoli in Raigad district. Both women were travelling in the reserved S-1 coach, according to the report.
Sitaram Fand, senior inspector with the Miraj Railway Police, said the stolen gold was estimated to weigh between one and 1.5 tolas, or approximately 11 to 17 grams. The precise value of the jewellery and the total number of passengers affected had not been established in the information available from the report.
Police are examining the possibility that the suspects used one person’s shoulders to lift another person towards the coach window. The report also said investigators were looking into whether a signal wire had been cut before the train stopped. That connection remains part of the investigation and has not been established as a confirmed finding.
The alleged use of a railway signal system to stop or slow a passenger train adds an infrastructure-security dimension to the case. Railway signalling is intended to regulate train movements and protect passengers and operating staff; any deliberate interference can therefore have consequences beyond the reported theft. The available report does not state which signal equipment was affected, how long the train remained halted or whether train operations were disrupted.
The Mahalaxmi Express carries passengers between Mumbai and Kolhapur and serves travellers across Maharashtra. The incident has renewed concern about the vulnerability of passengers seated near accessible windows when trains stop at or near isolated stretches during the night. However, the available details do not yet establish whether this was an organised attack, whether other passengers were targeted or whether similar incidents have occurred on the route.
The Miraj Railway Police investigation is expected to determine how the train stopped, identify the people involved and establish the full extent of the losses. Further official information is awaited on the signal equipment examined, the progress of the FIR and the security measures being considered for the route.
