In a horrific incident, a 21-year-old allegedly jumped off a moving train in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday night. Varalaxmi* was rescued by alert railway staff and is currently being treated in a hospital in Bhimavaram. The police are looking into the matter; however, as the victim is still unconscious, they have no leads.
According sources in the Government Railway Police, Bhimavaram, Varalaxmi was found by railway workers on Friday morning, lying near the railway tracks – she was unconscious, covered in mud and her wounds were still bleeding. They rushed her to the Bhimavaram Government Hospital.
On learning of the incident, the police went to the hospital on Friday morning and took victims fathers' statement.
According to the victim’s father, Nagavenkata Sriranganayakulu, Varalaxmi had gone to Vijayawada on some work.
Speaking to TNM SI AV Prasada Rao said, “The incident happened on Thursday night; thankfully, the railway staff admitted her to hospital. Though we can’t confirm it, the girl seems to have been travelling on the Puri–Tirupati Express. The time she booked her ticket in Vijayawada leads us to suspect she was aboad this train.”
When asked if the police suspect if Varalaxmi was harassed and, therefore, jumped off the train, the SI said, “At this point, we can’t rule out anything. The girl is yet to become conscious. We can only proceed once we record her statement.”
Varalaxmi’s family has shifted her to a private hospital in town to ensure she gets better treatment.
In September last year, a techie travelling from Chennai to Vijayawada jumped off a moving train, severely injuring herself, to escape a molestation attempt. The incident happened near Singarayakonda of Prakasham district, raising concerns over the safety of women passengers in trains.
Read: Andhra shocker: Chennai techie forced to jump off moving train to escape molesters
*Names changed to protect privacy