E-Paper
Three arrested for attempting to derail train in Mysuru: Police
The accused had allegedly placed a wooden log and steel sleeper on the railway track between Nanjangudu and Kadakola railway stations
Three people were arrested for allegedly attempting to derail a train near Nanjangud in Mysuru district of Karnataka, police said on Thursday.
The accused had allegedly placed a wooden log and steel sleeper on the railway track between Nanjangudu and Kadakola railway stations, an official from Railway Protection Force (RPF) said on the condition of anonymity.
The potential disaster was averted as the loco pilot of Chamarajanagar- Mysuru Express (train number 06275, travelling noticed the log and slammed the brakes in time, said the official quoted above. The loco pilot has been identified as Ashwini Kumar, said officials.
After getting information, officials from the RPF and the Government Railway Police (GRP) started the investigation into the matter. Providing details, RPF assistant commissioner MNA Khan said, “Soon after receiving the information from the loco pilot, a police team rushed to the spot and caught one of the accused Somay Marandi ,22, on suspicion. The accused was standing near the railway track”.
“During investigation, Marandi confessed to his involvement in the incident and revealed about his aides. The other two accused are Bhajanu Murmu, 28,and Dasamat Marandi, 32. All the three are residents of Odisha,” said Khan. The accused used to work as labourers in paper mills in Nanjanagudu, the official added.
The accused “deliberately placed iron sleepers and wooden blocks on the railway track at km no. 19/200-300, forcing the immediate stoppage of train carriage No. 06275,” said Khan.
A police official while quoting the accused said that they had “in an inebriated state recorded a video of the act... but were unaware that this could have claimed the lives of passengers”.
“The accused were consuming liquor and had placed the log and steel sleeper for amusement. They wanted to make a video clip of train wheels passing over the log,” the official quoted above said.
Later, the accused were handed over to the Mysuru Railway Police for further investigation, said another official . A case has been registered against the accused under Section 150(1)(A) (maliciously attempting to wreak havoc on a train) of the Railway Act-1989, said police.
Due to the incident, the train was temporarily halted for 10 minutes, said the official. Meanwhile, Mysuru divisional railway manager Shilpi Agarwal lauded the timely action of the loco pilot and commended the security forces for their “prompt response”.
The railway administration later issued a stern warning urging people “to refrain from engaging in activities that pose great danger to passengers and can lead to loss of life”. “Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty of such malicious activities on the tracks,” said the notification.
