RailEnquiry

A 26-year-old man has been arrested by the Railway Police Force (RPF) for allegedly placing concrete blocks on railway tracks.On Friday, the Palakkad-Erode passenger train had to be abruptly stopped near Coimbatore junction after a concrete block placed on the tracks jolted the train.The RPF found another concrete block a short distance away and had launched a hunt for those who attempted to derail the train.On Saturday, the police picked up Karthik (26), a resident of Madurai, near the Coimbatore government hospital. He has reportedly confessed to the railway police of being responsible for the incident.According to Police Karthik claimed that he suffered from alcoholism and drug addiction. He used to steal iron articles near the railway tracks.Karthik has refuted claims that he attempted to derail the locomotive, and has claimed that as he was using the concrete block in order to remove a piece of iron near the tracks.He claimed to have fled the scene after dropping the concrete block when he saw an approaching train. He has been remanded in custody.