Thieves steal entire train engine by digging tunnel in railway yard in Bihar
People cross a railway track in front of an arriving train on a foggy winter morning in Allahabad
Acomplete diesel engine was stolen piece by piece from a railway yard in the Begusarai region of Bihar. The complete engine that had been brought there for maintenance was allegedly systematically destroyed by the thieves after they constructed a tunnel to the yard and began collecting parts.
As reported by PTI, PS Dubey, an inspector of the Muzaffarpur station of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), said, "Last week, a case was registered at the Barauni police station for the theft of a diesel engine brought for repairs to the Garhara yard. In the course of the investigation, three people were arrested."
Searches were carried out in a scrap godown in the Prabhat Nagar region of the Muzaffarpur district based on the details they provided when questioned, and 13 sacks full of railway parts were discovered, he claimed.
"A search is on for the owner of the scrap yard, he added. Recovered items include engine parts, wheels from vintage train engines, and railroad parts made of heavy iron, he said. They had dug a tunnel to the railroad yard, and through it, they used to carry the locomotive parts and other items in sacks," said Dubey.
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According to him, the gang also steals the components from steel bridges that have been unbolted. An antique steam engine kept on the grounds of the Purnea Court was allegedly sold off by a railway engineer working at Samastipur Loco Diesel Shed last year, leading to his suspension.
In collusion with other railway officials and security personnel, the engineer allegedly sold the engine using a falsified letter from the divisional mechanical engineer of Samastipur.
(with inputs from agencies)