A school principal was allegedly robbed in Samata Express train on Wednesday at Mathura Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh, while she was on her way to Delhi to receive the President’s Medal on Teachers’ Day on September 5, police said on Thursday.
The victim, identified as Surekha Saxena (56), is the principal of a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Gwalior city.
On her complaint filed at the GRP post in Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station around 6.30 pm, the Delhi Police registered a zero FIR and sent it to the Mathura Police for further investigation.
“We have reported the matter to the GRP at Mathura and transferred the zero FIR to the police station concerned. Police are now looking for the vendor who allegedly committed the robbery,” the official added.
Union Minister Smriti Irani also visited her in the hospital and asked about her health. DCP (Railways) Milind Mahadeo Dumbere said Surekha’s brother, Surender Saxena, was accompanying her in the AC II tier compartment where the incident took place.
In her complaint, Surekha has mentioned that she and her brother had tea around 3 pm once the train reached Mathura railway station. When the train was about to depart from Mathura, the tea vendor approached them and offered to clear the paper cups and the vendor suddenly pulled out a can from his pocket and allegedly sprayed a chemical on Surekha’s face, she said. “When her brother tried to resist, the vendor allegedly spilled tea on him and fled the scene,” she added.
Both Surekha and her brother turned drowsy possibly because of the unidentified chemical sprayed on them and soon they slipped into a semi-conscious state, said police.
After around half an hour, Surekha realised that the vendor had allegedly robbed her of her wallet and also taken away her brother’s gold-plated watch, said police.
Other passengers in the compartment were reported to be too confused to react, said the police official. Following the incident, Surekha and her brother were rushed to Moolchand Hospital, where they are undergoing
treatment, said police.