Five incidents in Kottayam; narrow escape for three trains

Attempted train sabotage between Kottayam and Chingavanam, allegedly by an emotionally disturbed person, put the police on high alert on Thursday night and Friday. Though the police have zeroed in on the person, namely Deepu K. Thankappan of Poovanthuruthu, near here, they have not been able to nab him, the police said.

Five incidents

There were five separate incidents, all between Kottayam and Chingavanam, near Poovanthuruthu, in which three trains narrowly escaped accidents. The first of these took place by 10.30 p.m. on Thursday when the Malabar Express coming from Kottayam hit a motorbike kept across the tracks near the overbridge at Mooledom. The train halted at Madambukattu, near Poovanthuruthu, nearly a kilometre away after hitting the motorbike. Investigation by the police found the motorbike in a dilapidated condition, but the rider was nowhere to be seen.

Even as the police and railway authorities were searching the area, an engineer on the site found that his car was damaged using a heavy stone. By 3.30 a.m., the loco pilot of the Amrita Express, bound for Thiruvananthapuram, informed the police that the train had hit a box near Pakkil. The search found that the box contained an old video camera, a few electronic boards, and wires. By this time, the Kanyakumari-bound Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, which halted at Chingavanam because of these developments, was released.

Large stone found

However, a lineman, who was inspecting the line found someone throwing creepers and shrubs on the track’s electric lines Channanikkad, also near the same stop. But before the lineman could identify him the miscreant ran away. The Vivek Express moved to Kottayam after power lines were cleared. Later, the search parties found a large stone placed near the railway line at Mooledom.

Local people said they saw someone in red shirt riding a motorbike over the railway track at Mooledom before the first of the incident occurred. The police got the clue regarding the identity of the miscreant from the engine number of the mutilated bike, said Sabu Jacob, circle inspector, Government Railway Police. He might have left the town only by 10 a.m. and the police could track his mobile phone till Ettumanur, after which it was switched off. The case is being investigated by Chingavanom police who have charged him under sabotage-related provisions in the Indian Railway Act.

The Chingavanom police said they had charged him under IRA Section 150 (a): Maliciously wrecking or attempting to wreck a train; and Section 152: maliciously hurting or attempting to hurt persons travelling by train.

The police said the accused, Deepu, 35, had a diploma in electronics. He had also taken a degree in theology from a college in north India. His parents were daily wage earners. The police said he was under treatment for more than nine years as he used to get into fits of rage.

Police zero in on suspect, search is on

Mauled motorbike helps reveal identity