THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “See how things end up despite trying to do something helpful?” Former DGP Rishiraj Singh stopped his words midway and sighed.
Rishiraj Singh stepped out of the Vande Bharat train with good intentions. The former DGP had a spectacles held firmly in his hands, which he believed belonged to a woman passenger who forgot them on the train. He wanted to give it back to her and resume his journey. The magnanimous deed, though, crashed from all sides after the former DGP failed to get back inside the train on time, and more bizarre was a media turning the incident into a theft case.
“The media apologised. I will not say anything about it anymore. Everyone knows the truth,” Former DGP Rishiraj Singh laughed.
On the 9th, during the Vande Bharat train from Thiruvananthapuram to Tirur, Rishiraj Singh was seated opposite Dr Rama Mukesh, a native of Thrissur. When the train reached Ernakulam, he noticed that the doctor, her husband and daughter were ready to get off. He realised that the doctor was in a hurry.
When the train stopped, he saw her glasses and book sitting near his seat. Rishiraj Singh rushed towards the door and alighted from the train with the glasses and book; however, he could not locate the doctor and her husband. In reality, the doctor was at the door on the other side to see off her daughter, who was disembarking at Ernakulam. In the meantime, the door closed. The train moved off, leaving a clueless Rishiraj at the station.
His belongings, including his wallet, iPhone, and bag, were inside the train. Rishiraj Singh, who reached the restaurant on the platform, arranged to hand over the glasses and book to the railway police. He borrowed Rs 500 from an acquaintance and bought a ticket for the next train. He also arranged to hand over his bag and mobile phone from Vande Bharat to the person who would pick him up in Tirur.
Meanwhile, the doctor and her husband searched for the glasses on the train. The doctor, who got off at Thrissur, complained about a missing case. Immediately afterwards, the police informed the doctor that the glasses and the book had been found. When the doctor found out the truth, she called Rishiraj Singh and thanked him. Police Association leader C.R. Biju posted a note on Facebook about the incident, which also sparked discussion on social media.