Four schoolgirls, who dared to take on a gang of women robbers in a ladies compartment in a suburban train, were thrown off the train at Belghoria station, on Sunday night.

Four Class VIII students of a higher secondary school, who had gone to participate in an inter-school athletics meet on Sunday, were returning from Ichhapore in North 24 Parganas district when they noticed a gang of women looting gold ornaments and purses from the female passengers in the ladies’ compartment.

One of the girls protested and challenged the gang. The gang immediately swung into action and before the students could retaliate, rushed to them and pushed them off the running train in full view of other women commuters.

The culprits jumped off the train and escaped under the cover of darkness as the train reached the station. A government railway police (GRP) found the four students lying unconscious next to the track and rushed them to hospital where condition of two is stated to be serious.

“It was sheer providence that girls were not run over  the train had slowed down as it was approaching the Belghoria station,” a GRP official said. Police and GRP team have jointly launched a massive hunt and detained two suspected accomplice for interrogation.

“We hope to catch the gang very soon,” he said.