Scrap collectors drop aluminium ladder on railway track; Coimbatore RPF intercept

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Two scrap collectors were intercepted for depositing an aluminium ladder on the railway track between the stations of Coimbatore North and Peelamedu. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Coimbatore detained them on Monday.  

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The ladder, which was kept on the railway track, was hit by a locomotive on May 9. The sudden impact generated a loud noise, leading the loco pilot to use emergency brakes. The incident was reported to the RPF administrators. The case was registered under several sections of the Railways Act, which thereafter led to a thorough investigation into the matter, suspecting planned sabotage.

A follow-up investigation revealed that two individuals had placed the ladder on the railway track. RPF officials later located and detained them on Monday. They were identified as A Kandasamy, 45, from Karamadai, and G Nagaraj, 35, from Veera Keralam.

During interrogation, the detained men confessed that they intended to crush the ladder under a passing train, cut it into smaller parts, and sell it as scrap.

The cause of their actions was elaborated by an RPF executive, stating, “The men had found the aluminium ladder and tried to sell it to a local scrap dealer. However, the dealer reportedly refused to buy it in its original form and advised them to cut it into smaller pieces.” As a result, “Unable to break the metal themselves, they decided to place it on the track, hoping it [would] get crushed when run over by a train,” and sell that as aluminium scrap. 

The detainees were produced in the court and were held in judicial custody.

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