Eunuchs grab Rs 5,000 from man, push him out of moving train in Pune

PUNE (Agency) : Harassment from eunuchs, especially on trains, touched scary heights on Tuesday.An argument with an aggressive group over giving them money landed a 24-year-old man in Sassoon General Hospital's intensive care unit with multiple head injuries. He is unconscious and in a serious condition.Three eunuchs robbed Dilip Gavai, a labourer from Buldhana, of Rs 5,000 and then pushed him out of Azad Hind Express's general compartment while the train was moving, at Loni Kalbhor near Pune on Tuesday around 6am. Gavai was carrying the money to pay for his stay in Pune.The Pune railway police have arrested three eunuchs Sweety Dodke (21), Sonali Dodke (25) and Priya Dodke (20) from Laxminagar in Yerawada on charges of dacoity based on a complaint filed by a co-passenger.Gavai and his friends Javed Shaikh and Mubeen Shaikh had boarded the train from Shegaon railway station for Pune on Monday at 7.45pm."We were in the middle of the compartment while the train was nearing Pune. We saw eight to 10 eunuchs demanding and forcing passengers to give them money. Some tribal people, also travelling in the same compartment, refused to pay them. They were beaten up. We then moved ahead and stood near the door. One of them broke a tube light with a sandal, picked up a glass portion and hit me on my head and forced me to pay Rs 20 each to two of them," said Javed.A few more eunuchs joined them and they asked Gavai to pay. "He removed the Rs 5,000 in a bundle from his pocket and was about to give them Rs 100, when a eunuch snatched the money from his hand and pushed him out of the moving train. They pulled the emergency chain and fled after the train stopped a little ahead of Loni Kalbhor station."
Mubeen jumped from the train and rushed to Gavai. With help from some passengers, he picked him up and took him to the railway station's platform, Javed said."Some policemen from the railway protection force took me into custody when they saw me jumping out of the train. They accused me of pulling the chain, checked my ticket and sought reasons for leaving the



train midway. When I explained what had happened, they arranged an ambulance to take Gavai to Sassoon hospital," Javed added.Mubeen said the eunuchs checked Gavai's pocket before pushing him out of the moving train. "Some fled to other compartments and others jumped off the train after it stopped. The passengers were so terrified that none of them came to our rescue in the train. We could take Gavai to hospital because the policemen helped," he added.When they went to the railway police station to register a complaint, a policemen showed them three photographs. "They were arrested after we identified the eunuchs," Mubeen added.The victim's mother Padma Gavai, who rushed to the hospital from Buldhana, said, "My son is the sole earning member. He has a wife, son and daughter. He visits Pune often when he is called for work at construction sites. We don't have any other source of income. We have appealed to police to act against eunuchs harassing passengers."Sassoon hospital's medical superintendent D G Kulkarni said Gavai was admitted to the trauma intensive care unit on Tuesday at 8am. "He has internal brain hemorrhage and wounds on the right side of his head. He is unconscious though his pulse and blood pressure are normal. He has been put on ventilator support and is under observation," he added.Superintendent of police Vishwa Pansare (railways) said the eunuchs had boarded the train from Daund railway station. "They were collecting money from passengers. There was an argument and they pushed Gavai out of the moving train. We have taken strong action against those arrested under section 395 (dacoity) of Indian Penal Code and launched a massive hunt for the others.""Bandobast has been improved. Four armed policemen have been posted at Thakurwadi after six passengers of the Pune-Gwalior Express were robbed near Khandala. Miscreants damaged the hose pipe of a signal and attempted to rob passengers of the Mumbai-Kolhapur Sahyadari Express in Phursungi. We will deploy more policemen at vulnerable points to prevent train dacoities," Pansare added.