Alert loco driver averts mishap near Unnao

KANPUR: An apparent bid to derail Lucknow-bound Amrapali Express between Ganga Ghat and Rishi Nagar in Unnao on late Wednesday night was foiled by the alert loco pilot, police said.

The driver on seeing two track bars placed across on the line reportedly for the purpose of sabotage or executing robbery immediately applied emergency brakes and saved the lives of passengers, said Subedar Yadav, SHO GRP Unnao.

Senior police officers, including IG Lucknow Sujit Pandey and SP Unnao, Pushpanjali Singh, reached the spot for inspection.

A case against unidentified persons under section 150 (a), maliciously attempting to wreck a train, of the railway act, has been longed, Yadav said.

According to FIR, the train was heading towards Lucknow from Kanpur Central when the driver SK Srivastava noticed track bars placed on the line between pillars 66/34 and 66/36 around 1.40 am.

He immediately applied emergency brakes and informed the divisional railway manager (DRM) Lucknow and the railway control room.

Satya Prakash, senior divisional security commissioner, RPF Lucknow said: “Two track bars each about 4 ft each have been found on the track. But it would be premature to call that attempt was made to derail the train. The case was being investigated by the GRP Unnao.”

› The driver on seeing two track bars placed across on the line reportedly for the purpose of sabotage or executing robbery immediately applied emergency brakes

SUBEDAR YADAV, SHO GRP Unnao