Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Railway Police have arrested 48 persons in connection with thefts on trains and recovered stolen articles worth more than Rs 30 lakh in a special drive conducted over the past month.

The accused, arrested from various parts of Keralam and outside the state, were remanded to judicial custody, police said on Wednesday.

The arrests followed intensified investigations at railway stations and on trains across the state based on complaints received from passengers, police said in a statement.

The accused allegedly targeted passengers sleeping on trains and platforms at night, as well as those travelling on crowded trains.

With the assistance of the cyber cell and intelligence wing, Railway Police conducted a scientific investigation into the theft cases and traced the suspects, police said.

The recovered articles include 54 mobile phones, two laptops, gold ornaments, Rs 90,000 in cash, chargers and other electronic devices, collectively valued at more than Rs 30 lakh.

Steps are being taken to identify the owners of the recovered mobile phones and laptops and return them to them, police said.

Surveillance and inspections at trains and railway station premises across the state will be intensified in the coming days, police added.