Kolkata: A 45-year-old woman from Kolkata lost a portion of her right hand after being pushed out of the Howrah-Puri Dhauli Express by chain snatchers on Sunday.
The woman, identified as Surama Hazra from Behala in Kolkata, was travelling with her husband. The train was approaching Kolaghat when Surama left the washroom. That was when the two criminals snatched her gold chain and purse and attempted to jump off the slow-moving train.
According to eye-witnesses, the snatchers were hanging on
to the handrails of the door when Surama made a brave attempt to retrieve her chain and purse. The miscreants then pushed her off the train and her right hand came under the wheels.
Her screams alerted other passengers and one of them pulled the emergency chain, bringing the train to a stop near the Bhogpur station. Locals had witnessed the incident and rushed to the spot as well. They rescued Surama and nabbed the snatchers. The chain and purse were retrieved.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) took Surama to the South Eastern Railway Hospital in Kharagpur where doctors said that the severed arm could not be reattached due to severe damage. She was later shifted to a hospital in Kolkata.
The chain and purse have been recovered and the two snatchers will be produced before a court, the GRP said. Stringent charges will be brought against them, an official said.