Three railway employees were arrested for allegedly trying to derail a train near Kim railway station in Surat district, Gujarat. They reportedly took out important parts of the track, like fishplates and keys, to create a fake situation that would make them look like heroes for stopping a disaster. This incident happened on September 21 but was stopped before anyone was harmed.
The Conspiracy to fake a derailment
According to the Western Railway’s Vadodara Division, unknown people were reported to have opened fishplates and removed keys from the UP line track near Kim railway station. Service was quickly restored after the alert was raised. However, investigations found that this was a planned scheme by three railway employees to fake a derailment and take credit for preventing it.
The accused are trackmen Subhash Podar and Manish Mistry, along with a contract worker named Shubham Jayswal. They allegedly took parts from the track, recorded the damage with photos and videos, and then put everything back. Their aim was to pretend to be heroes and claim they stopped a disaster.
Criminal charges filed
A case has been opened against the three employees under several sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of criminal conspiracy, reckless endangerment, and actions that put lives at risk. They also face charges under the Railway Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The police arrested all three, and the investigation found strong evidence against them.
“On the night of September 21, fishplates were discovered missing from 1.5 km of track between Kim and Kosamba stations,” said Surat Rural SP. “While Subhash Podar and his associates were tampering with the track, about 15 trains passed on that line. They hid every time a train went by, planning to alert authorities just before the Garib Rath train was scheduled to arrive at 5:25 am.”
Motive Behind the Conspiracy: Seeking recognition and favourable shifts
The accused hoped that they would get praise, awards, and recognition by warning authorities in time to stop a derailment. They also wanted to be moved from their night shifts to more desirable day shifts.
“Subhash Podar, who has worked with Indian Railways for nine years, was the one who alerted authorities about the missing fishplates. Thanks to the quick repairs, a major derailment was avoided,” officials said. However, the suspicious timing of the alert, along with other evidence, revealed their plan.
Evidence uncovered
Authorities found several damaging photos and videos on the accused’ phones that had been deleted but later recovered from the recycle bins. The footage showed the removed parts of the track, taken between 2:00 am and 5:00 am. However, the alert to authorities was not sent until after 5:00 am, raising questions about the workers” claims.
“While looking through their phones, we discovered some photos and videos of the removed parts that were taken between 2:00 am and 5:00 am, but the alert was sent after 5:00 am. They couldn’t explain this, which made us more suspicious of their involvement,” said Surat SP Hitesh Joysar.
