The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) has apprehended a man identified as Hussain alias Shahid for his involvement in pelting stones at the Vande Bharat Express train. The arrest was made as part of a larger operation aimed at curbing crimes targeting the railways, following several reports of stone-pelting incidents on trains in the region. This comes after another accused, Pawan Kumar Sahni, was arrested earlier for similar offenses.
The arrest of Hussain was made following intelligence inputs and investigations led by the UP ATS and local authorities. Inspector General (IG) Nilabja Chaudhary of the UP ATS confirmed that Hussain was captured in the Mughalsarai area of Chandauli district. He had been living in a rented house in the Mughalsarai police station area but hails originally from Bhagalpur, Bihar.
The ATS unit had been on the lookout for Hussain after his accomplice, Pawan Kumar Sahni, who had been arrested earlier, disclosed Hussain’s involvement during interrogation. According to Sahni, both men were engaged in stone-pelting activities to slow down trains and subsequently rob passengers of their valuables, such as mobile phones, especially from those seated near the windows.
There have been multiple incidents of stone pelting reported in the recent past on the Vande Bharat Express trains, particularly between the Vyasnagar and Kashi station areas. The glass of the C-5 coach of the Vande Bharat Express was shattered during one such incident while the train was en route to Varanasi Cantt station via Ayodhya and Lucknow. The gang, which included Hussain and Pawan, aimed to use the chaos caused by stone-pelting to slow down the train and snatch valuables from passengers.
The Vande Bharat Express, a prestigious high-speed train service, has been targeted in various parts of the country by miscreants. These acts of sabotage have raised serious concerns about the safety of passengers and the security of the railways, prompting the UP ATS and other security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend those involved.
Upon his arrest, Hussain was interrogated by the Varanasi unit of the ATS for a prolonged period. During questioning, Hussain confessed to the crimes and revealed that his gang had planned and executed several such stone-pelting incidents to create opportunities for theft. He also named several other accomplices who were involved in the attacks. ATS officers are now gathering information on these individuals for further investigation and potential arrests.
Following his confession, Hussain was handed over to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Vyasnagar, Chandauli, for further legal action. The ATS unit is continuing its investigation to dismantle the entire network involved in these criminal activities.
