Malayalee family drugged, robbed in Mangala Express

The family lost Rs 47,000 and gold jewellery worth around eight sovereigns A case has been registered in Kochi and the details have been sent to the Goa police

A family from Kerala, travelling from Maharashtra to Ernakulam in the Mangala Express, was robbed off their cash and gold on Sunday morning, after a gang offered them sedative-­laced drinks.

Vinod Gopalakrishnan (44), wife Ambili (38) and children Ananthu (17) and Adithya (12) were the victims of yet another train robbery reported on the Konkan route, according to a Mathrubhumi report. The family lost Rs 47,000 and gold jewellery worth around eight sovereigns.

Vinod runs a workshop near Maharashtra's Bhusaval. The family had boarded the train from Bhusaval and were soon joined by a three-member gang in the same coach. The trio started conversing with them in Hindi and got acquainted with the family in the next few hours.

When the train reached Madgao on Saturday night, the gang offered some fruit juice to the family, who did not suspect the strangers and consumed it. They woke up when the train neared Thrissur and realised they have been robbed of all the cash and gold they had.

The family alighted at Ernakulam and was admitted to the district hospital. A case has been registered in Kochi and the details have been sent to the Goa police.