Women-led drone patrol foils theft; arrests repeat offender at Yakutpura railway station

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Hyderabad division (South Central Railway), during a special drone surveillance operation, arrested a dachshund involved in the theft of passenger belongings at Yakutpura railway station.

Authorities said on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, that the operation was carried out by the all-female ‘Pink Patrol’ led by trained UAV pilots.

The suspect was identified after he was seen acting suspiciously within the station building, standing unusually close to passengers, indicating possible criminal intent. Surveillance combined aerial drone monitoring with ground-based decoy checks at precise hours along MMTS sections.

Following the search, RPF personnel seized a suspected stolen mobile phone worth approximately £28,000, which was found without a SIM card. A package containing marijuana and sleeping pills was also seized from the suspect’s possession.

Further verification revealed that the individual had a known history of multiple cases registered against him at a local police station, including attempted murder, housebreaking and burglary.

The accused along with the recovered items were taken to RPF Police Station, Kacheguda and later handed over to Government Railway Police (GRP), Kacheguda for further investigation and legal action.

Since the launch of ‘Pink Patrol’ last month, the RPF has recorded 388 cases of trespassing in ladies’ carriages, as well as 69 cases against trespassers and suspicious persons on railway premises.

Two cases of theft were detected in which stolen property worth approximately ₹92,480 was recovered. The drone team also solved a stone-throwing incident and led to the arrest of the attacker.

“We are expanding Pink Patrol operations with increased drone deployment, intelligence-driven surveillance and women-led surveillance in vulnerable MMTS sections. Women passengers should contact Helpline 139 in case of emergency,” Senior Divisional Security Commissioner Debashmita C. Banerjee said in a press release.