Woman pushed off train while resisting snatchers in West Bengal

Kolkata: A woman passenger was seriously injured after she was allegedly pushed off the Howrah–Puri Dhauli Express near Kolaghat in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district on Sunday while resisting a snatching attempt, a district police official said.

Two snatchers were later arrested by the villagers and handed over to the railway police.

Sarama Hazra was pushed from the moving train when she confronted the two snatchers who attempted to pull the gold chain from her neck, the official said, quoting her family members and local residents. As the train was moving slowly, the two snatchers also jumped off the train to escape.

Hazra fell by the side of the tracks and screamed for help. Local villagers rushed to the spot and rescued her, and also caught the two accused, who were then handed over to the railway police after being thrashed, officials said.

The 45-year-old Kolkata’s Behala resident was first taken to Kharagpur Railway Hospital and later shifted to a hospital in the metropolis as one of her hands had sustained severe injuries.

Her condition is stated to be stable but serious, with doctors considering surgery to prevent amputation, the relative added.