Youtuber claims she was drugged, robbed in train; shares her ordeal in video

In a video shared on Instagram titled “Travel Safe”, Kanika said that the train had halted at the New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal, when an unauthorised person entered the train compartment, sprayed a sedative and stole her phone.

A YouTuber, Kanika Devrani, recently made a shoking claim alleging that she and her co-passengers were drugged and robbed at New Jalpaiguri Junction Railway Station (NJP) in West Benga while travelling from Delhi to Guwahati, in a 2AC coach of the Brahmaputra Mail.

In a video shared on Instagram captioned “Travel Safe”, Kanika said that the train had halted at the New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal when an unauthorised person entered the train compartment, sprayed a sedative and stole her phone.

She further stated that although she was sleeping with her phone under the pillow, she could have sensed if someone tried to take it. Hence, she alleged that some sort of sedative was definitely sprayed that kept her unconscious and enabling the person to steal her phone.

Further in the video, she also said that a co-passenger also made a similar claim of his phone being stolen. Kanika also raised concerns about the safety of passengers as the unidentified person was allowed to enter the train without a ticket.

Tagging West Bengal Police and Malda Police, in her video posted on social media, Kanika urged the authorities to take proper action.

Railway Seva (@RailwaySeva) replying to her complaint wrote on X, “For necessary action, escalated to the concerned official.”

The video has been making several rounds on the internet and has sparked a heated discussion among social media users about train travel safety. Some of the social media users also also tagged IRCTC and West Bengal Police to report the alleged incident.

Commenting in her own video, she later wrote, “I am safe guys and also I have tweeted regarding the same issue. Thank you for your concern.”

Several users commented on her post, wherein one individual said, “Very sad to see this, and thank god you’re safe, Kanika. @irctc.official @railminindia Is it that easy for anyone to enter the 2S class without a ticket, even under the supervision of your employers? This is the safety you’re providing to your passengers, especially to females. You must look into this matter and take action as quickly as possible.”

Another wrote, “I would like to tell girls not to go on long trips alone in Indian Railways..”

A HT report quoting a spokesperson of Northeast Frontier Railways said that an investigation is under way.

The report further quoting Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northeast Frontier Railway, said, “The lady is presently in Guwahati. Railway Protection Force has registered her complaint, and help of the CEIR portal is being taken to trace her lost phone and nab the criminals. The entire matter is being investigated in detail and strong action will be taken to ensure recurrence of any such incident in the future.”