A shocking incident has come to light at the Katihar railway station in Bihar, raising serious questions about the security arrangements at one of the state's most prominent transit hubs. Mohammad Rezan, a young man hailing from Azamnagar, has claimed that he was taken hostage at gunpoint in broad daylight and robbed of a substantial amount of money right outside the station premises. Rezan had arrived at the station to board the Rajdhani Express to Delhi, but his journey was violently interrupted. According to the victim, armed criminals forced him to withdraw ₹76,000 from an ATM, snatched his mobile phone and cash, and quickly fled the scene. The sheer audacity of the crime has left both passengers and railway authorities deeply alarmed.
Taken Hostage While Waiting for the Rajdhani Express
On the day of the incident, Mohammad Rezan reached the Katihar railway station well in advance to catch the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express, which was scheduled to depart at 4:00 PM. Rezan alleges that shortly after he entered the station premises, two unidentified miscreants suddenly cornered him. Before he could raise an alarm or seek help from the railway police, the men pulled out a weapon and held him at gunpoint. The criminals strictly warned him that if he made any noise or attempted to escape, they would shoot him on the spot. Terrified for his life, Rezan had no choice but to silently follow their chilling instructions.
Forced ATM Withdrawal at Gunpoint
Keeping their weapons concealed but pointed at him, the thugs forcibly marched Rezan out of the highly secured station and took him to a nearby ATM booth. Once inside, they commanded him to insert his debit card and withdraw the maximum possible funds from his bank account. Under immense fear and pressure, Rezan withdrew a total of ₹76,000 in cash and handed it over to his captors. As soon as the criminals got hold of the money, they also snatched his mobile phone to prevent him from calling for immediate help, and then vanished into the bustling surrounding area. The fact that criminals could easily escort a passenger out of a major junction under the threat of a gun highlights a terrifying lapse in civilian safety.
A Suspicious Trail of Urgent Phone Calls
As the investigation unfolds, a highly intriguing sequence of events leading up to the robbery has emerged, adding a layer of mystery to the case. According to a statement given by the victim's elder brother, Parvez, Rezan had been frantically calling various family members and friends around 3:30 PM, just half an hour before the alleged crime. His sole purpose was to get immediate money transferred into his bank account. Parvez revealed that Rezan first called him and asked for a sum of ₹20,000. Immediately after that, Rezan contacted his brother-in-law and had another ₹20,000 transferred. Furthermore, he reached out to a close friend and arranged for an additional ₹35,000. Through these rapid phone calls, he managed to gather exactly ₹75,000 in his account just moments before the robbery took place.
The Excuse of an Urgent Payment
Naturally, the family was concerned about this sudden and massive demand for cash. When Parvez questioned his brother about why he needed such a large amount of money so urgently, Rezan remained evasive. He simply claimed that he had to make an essential payment to someone right away. Shortly after this financial arrangement was completed, Parvez received another phone call from Rezan. This time, Rezan's voice was trembling with fear as he narrated the horrifying ordeal of being kidnapped at gunpoint by two men, being forced to empty his freshly funded bank account at the ATM, and being left stranded without his cash and phone.
Police Investigation and the DSP's Suspicions
The moment the news of this brazen gunpoint robbery reached the railway authorities, the police machinery swung into action. Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, Railway DSP AK Akela has personally taken charge of the investigation. Police teams are currently scanning extensive CCTV footage from inside the station premises, the exit routes, and the surrounding ATM areas to identify the culprits and verify the sequence of events. However, the authorities are not taking the victim's claims at face value just yet. DSP AK Akela has explicitly stated that, at first glance, the entire matter appears highly suspicious. The perfectly timed transfer of funds from relatives right before a targeted robbery has given the police ample reason to look deeper into the victim's own narrative.
Security Failure or a Staged Conspiracy?
Katihar junction is widely regarded as a high-security railway station, constantly monitored by railway protection forces. If a passenger was genuinely taken hostage at gunpoint and escorted outside to an ATM, it exposes a massive failure in the station's security grid. Conversely, the police are conducting a meticulous, multi-angle probe to determine if there is more to the story. If the incident turns out to be related to a personal financial dispute, a fabricated story to cover up a transaction, or some other underlying conspiracy, the ongoing investigation will eventually bring the truth to light. For now, the railway police are keeping a close watch on all developments and pieces of evidence to solve this perplexing case.
