Man who robbed woman on Punalur train identified; local police help trace the history-sheeter

Mulanthuruthy, Kochi: The Government Railway Police has reportedly nabbed a person, suspected to have attacked a woman on board a train on Wednesday. The suspect is Babukuttan, a native of Nooranad in Alappuzha.

The woman, 31-year-old Asha, was attacked and her ornaments robbed off while she was on board the Guruvayur-Punalur Express train around 8.45 am on Wednesday. In her bid to escape the attack, Asha had jumped off the train and suffered injuries to her head, neck and spine.

She has been admitted to the ICU of the Ernakulam Medical Trust Hospital.

Asha is the wife of Mulanthuruthy native Rahul. She is an employee of the Government Higher Secondary School at Chengannur. She was targetted on the train on Wednesday morning as she was proceeding to the workplace from Mulanthuruthy.

Babukuttan, who had been accused in cases earlier too, was traced with the help of the local police. She has identified the assailant as the police showed his photo.

Horror in 10 minutes

According to the Railway Police, the assailant, who was in another coach, had entered her coach just before the train resumed the journey. There was no one else in the coach during this time. After closing the door, he sat next to Asha, grabbed her phone and threw it out through the window.

Wielding a screwdriver, he threatened her and forcefully took away her gold chain and bangle. He then grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her towards the bathroom. Resisting the attack, the woman opened the door and remained dangling from the moving train while holding on to the door railing for some time. But the assailant forcefully freed her hold on the railing, and she fell off the train. All these happened in just 10 minutes, the Railway Police stated after taking Asha's statement.

The woman fell near the Olipuram bridge, which is between the Kanjiramattom and Piravom Road railway stations. The woman, who fell on the railway tracks, was spotted by the local people who informed her husband.

The case is being probed by the Railway Police at the Ernakulam South railway station. The Women's Commission has taken a suo motu case and sought a report from the Railway Police.

Asha had phoned her sister before attack

Asha's husband Rahul said that she had called her sister soon after commencing the journey. "She told her that she was alone in the coach and a stranger was closing all the doors. But she ended the call by saying there was no trouble. But after the call, this person went up to her, grabbed her phone and threw it outside. He threatened her, and took away her chain and bangle. When he tried to attack her again, she made the escape bid. She called me from the phone of the local people, who turned up at the spot where she had fallen," he narrated.