In yet another train dacoity, unidentified armed criminals looted cash and valuables worth over Rs 400,000 from passengers of the 5047 up Howrah-Gorakhpur Poorvanchal express running between Barauni and Dalsingsarai in Bihar late on Saturday night and injured at least 24, railway police said.

Dacoits armed with pistols and knives boarded the train at Barauni and after a while attacked three sleeper coaches of the train around 1130 pm and looted cash and valaubles. At least 24 passengers received injuries when they resisted.

After looting the passengers, the dacoits got down from the train by pulling the chain near Dalsinghsarai in Samastipur district, the sources said.

Later, when the train reached Samastipur station, the passengers staged a violent protest and vandalised a
Government Railway Police (GRP) picket at the station.

An FIR was registered with the GRP police station at Samastipur station in connection with the dacoity, sources said. The train was delayed for over three hours at the Samastipur station in the process.

Meanwhile, the Bihar government suspended five Government Railway Police (GRP) officials, including a sub-inspector, in connection with the dacoity.

Superintendent of Police (Railway), Muzaffarpur, Sunil Kumar Sinha ordered suspension of the five GRP personnel on the charge of dereliction of duty, GRP sources said.

The suspended police personnel were travelling in the nearby bogey as escort but they did not allegedly intervene when the criminals were looting the passengers for well over half-an-hour, the sources added.   

All the five suspended officials were posted with GRP Muzaffarpur, the sources said.