Case over recovery of rifles, bullets from train in Ernakulam

Kochi: Ernakulam railway police registered a case after two guns and 10 bullets were recovered from a bag found in the reservation coach of Patna Express which arrived in Kochi on Sunday. However, owner of the bag later approached police, claiming that he had a licence for guns.A patrolling unit of railway police spotted the unattended bag and kept it under surveillance until the train reached Ernakulam Junction before seizing it. Police contacted a logistics company based in Kochi after seeing its name on a pouch in the bag and they confirmed that the gun belonged to a staff member, a UP native named Ashok Kumar. Kumar later appeared at the police station and presented his licence issued in UP.Police said they registered a case for careless handling of weapons, a violation of licence conditions. The weapons were presented before a court in Ernakulam. It would be released to Kumar based on court directive once veracity of the licence was verified, police said.Railway police said Kumar gave a statement that he got down from the train at one stop to purchase something from platform. He said he could not identify where the bag was kept when he re-entered the train. He claimed that he upgraded his ticket to reservation coach and did not know the exact location where he kept the bag. The man claimed that he was still on the train and was looking for the bag, said a railway police official, adding that a detailed investigation was under way into the matter.