Fake RPF Officer Kidnaps Labourer From Train in Thane, Demands ₹10,000 Ransom

An unidentified person posing as an RPF officer allegedly assaulted and kidnapped a 27‑year‑old labourer from a long-distance train in Maharashtra's Thane district and later demanded ₹10,000 as ransom from his family, police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Sunday in the Hatia Superfast Express, which was heading from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai to Hatia in Jharkhand, they said, adding that a search was underway for the victim and the kidnapper.

The labourer, identified as Sunil Narayan Saw, was travelling with his friends in the general compartment of the train when an unidentified man wearing a green shirt and black trousers came to him, claiming that he was a Railway Protection Force (RPF) officer.

The man then falsely accused the victim of teasing a girl on the train, assaulted him, and forcibly took him off the train at Kasara railway station under the pretext of taking him to a police station, an official said, quoting a complaint lodged by the victim's cousin in Thane.

After some time, the man called the complainant using the victim's mobile phone and demanded a "fine" of ₹10,000 to be paid via UPI for his release. He also threatened dire consequences if the money was not paid.

To verify the number provided, the complainant initially transferred Re 1, which the caller received. The kidnapper later made multiple calls to the complainant, demanding the money, the official said.

Realising that his cousin had been abducted, the complainant approached the Asangaon railway police, who registered a case under Sections 140(2) (kidnapping for ransom) and 204 (personating a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

"We are conducting a probe into the case. Multiple teams have launched a search for the kidnapped man," Asangaon railway police's senior inspector Sachin More said.

The complainant has not paid any ransom to the caller, the official added.