Kozhikode: The Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) here nabbed a gang of thieves from Haryana for stealing diamond and gold jewellery worth ₹50 lakh from a family travelling on a train from Koyilandy. The police arrested the four-member gang within 24 hours of the crime. The stolen jewellery was recovered from them and brought back to Kozhikode. According to the Railway Police, the thieves belong to the Sansi tribe in Haryana.

The robbery took place on Friday (November 14) morning on the Chennai–Mangaluru Superfast Express.

The accused — Rajesh, Dilbag, Manoj Kumar and Jitendran, all from Haryana — are reportedly part of the notorious Sansi mafia, known for targeting long-distance passengers on highways and trains.

Abdul Nazer from Koyilandy and his family were returning from Chennai after purchasing gold and diamond jewellery for a wedding. They were travelling in an AC coach. When the train stopped at Koyilandy station on Friday morning, a few fellow passengers in the coach helped them unload their luggage.

Once home, the family checked their bags and found that jewellery worth ₹50 lakh was missing.

They immediately informed the Railway Police and the RPF. Both forces launched a search for the culprits, collecting CCTV footage and the reservation chart. Based on this, the gang was tracked down and arrested on the train.

Among the thieves, Rajesh was formerly an officer in the Haryana Police but was dismissed from service. This gang typically targets long-distance passengers travelling in AC coaches, the police said.