Amreli: An attempt to tamper with a railway track and derail a passenger train was foiled on Saturday after unknown persons allegedly placed stones and cement fencing poles on the track between Chittal and Khijdia villages in Amreli. The incident was averted due to the alertness of the train loco pilot, officials said.

The incident occurred around 5.50 pm when the Bhavnagar–Porbandar passenger train was passing through the Jetalsar–Dhasa broad gauge route. The loco pilot noticed large stones and cement poles lying on the track and immediately applied emergency brakes, bringing the train to a halt before it could hit the obstruction. Railway staff later removed the objects, after which the train resumed its journey safely.

Following the incident, teams from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), local police, dog squad, forensic experts, the Central Intelligence Bureau and railway police reached the spot and launched an investigation. Officials said the area is surrounded by dense bushes, raising suspicion that miscreants may have taken advantage of the secluded location to carry out the act.

A case has been registered against unknown persons at the Amreli Taluka Police Station based on a complaint filed by a railway department engineer. Considering the seriousness of the matter, the district police chief has assigned the probe to the Special Operations Group (SOG). Authorities are conducting search operations in the surrounding area to identify those behind the suspected sabotage attempt. DeshGujarat