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Time of India
28-05-2025
- Time of India
Ticketless ‘godman' kicked off train, tampers with rails
Chennai: "Godmen don't need to buy tickets. I was kicked off trains for not having one. That's why I tried to sabotage them," said a man arrested for tampering with rail tracks in Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The successive instances of sabotage between April 26 and 29 at Avadi, Ambattur and Arakkonam had triggered nationwide alarm and the NIA too had joined the investigation. The culprit, however, turned out to be a 43-year-old Class XII dropout from Odisha who claimed to be a godman. The man, who styled himself as 'Om from Haridwar on a spiritual journey' believed godmen didn't require tickets, because they were above such rules. He was caught in Hyderabad two weeks ago after he tampered with the tracks between Kacheguda and Budvel and his game was up. TN's Govt Railway Police flew to Haridwar but found no record of an 'Om' there. Instead, they found his real name was Vijaykumar and that he was drifter who worked as an electrician in several states before staying at a mutt near Tiruttani. That's where he assumed the persona of a godman and believed he didn't need a ticket to ride. "He said he placed metal objects and stones on railway tracks, angry at being thrown off trains for not having a ticket," said GRP superintendent I Eswaran. It was just providence that his actions did not result in a tragedy. At Arakkonam, metal rods and stones were wedged across six rail joints. An accident as averted only because the loco pilot of the Tirupati-Puducherry Express noticed a signal anomaly and halted the train in time. The pattern became clear only after his arrest. He was brought to Chennai on a transit remand last week. He is now remanded in judicial custody and lodged in Puzhal prison.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Time of India
Three rail tampering attempts reported in 4 days near city
Chennai: Sleuths from the National Investigation Agency ( NIA ) are yet to complete inquiries into an attempted sabotage of railway infrasturcture near Chennai last week and two more incidents targeting railway infrastructure have been reported in the past 48 hours, raising concerns about coordinated attempts to disrupt rail operations. This marks the third such incident in four days. On Sunday, the loco pilot of the Tirupati-Puducherry Express narrowly averted a potential disaster near Melpakkam, close to Arakkonam. As the fully packed train approached a turnout section, he noticed a signal anomaly and immediately alerted the signal maintenance team. Upon halting the train and inspecting the track, he found stones and iron rods deliberately placed between the rails at five separate locations. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai These obstructions were positioned at critical points near turnout zones, where point machines — electromechanical devices that physically shift movable rails (switches) — set the path of trains based on the signalling system. "Once the route setting command is issued through the electronic interlocking (EI) system, the point machine is activated to lock the movable rails into position. However, the presence of foreign objects can prevent the switch rails from closing properly, leading to a point failure. Thanks to the EI's automatic detection and alarm system, the anomaly was flagged, allowing immediate intervention," said a senior Southern Railway official. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo A similar sabotage attempt was reported on Saturday at Patravakkam near Ambattur, causing significant delays to several long-distance express trains. Following these incidents, Southern Railway has intensified track patrolling, especially along the Chennai-Arakkonam corridor. In addition to routine early morning patrols, special teams have been deployed to carry out continuous inspections during the day. While mere placement of stones may not easily derail a train, acts such as the removal of bolts — as seen in the Thiruvalangadu incident last Friday — pose far greater risks. Railway police said that tampering with vital track components, such as stretcher bars and locking bolts in point machines, typically requires specific technical knowledge and specialised tools. Investigators are probing whether miscreants with online access to railway technical manuals or training materials were involved.
