Gujarat Police have arrested two men for attempting to derail a train in Botad district to rob the passengers. They had allegedly placed an iron rail piece on a railway track in an attempt to derail the passenger train, putting the lives of the passengers at risk.
The incident took place in the wee hours of September 25 around 150 kilometres from Ahmedabad. According to the police, the accused, Ramesh Salia and Jayesh Bavalia, allegedly placed a four to five-foot-long iron rail piece vertically on the track near Kundli village, news agency PTI reported.
The incident came just a few days after three railway employees were held in Surat for allegedly track tampering and alerting authorities about a sabotage attempt to take credit for averting a possible tragedy.
The duo attempted the derailment to loot passengers as they were facing financial difficulties, police said. The accused watched YouTube videos about ways to derail trains before committing the crime, a release issued by the Botad district police noted.
After hitting the iron rail piece, the engine of the Okha-Bhavnagar passenger train came to a halt. The accused, who are farm labourers, were present at the spot, hiding in a cotton field nearby. They had planned to enter the train once it derailed. When their plan failed, they fled on their two-wheeler.
Thereafter, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) were called in for investigation along with the local police teams, considering the rise in such cases and the seriousness of the crime.
The police utilised human intelligence and technical surveillance to identify the two men, who were absconding. However, the police located and apprehended them. They are being interrogated, police said.
As per the release, the accused men were booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Railways Act, and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.