RPF arrests 10 in 10 hours over Kargi Road goods train derailment; main accused absconding
Raipur: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested 10 accused within 10 hours in connection with the goods train derailment at Kargi Road railway station in Chhattisgarh, while the main accused, Pawan Nayak, remains absconding.
Officials said the case was solved using CCTV footage, mobile phone location data, and other technical evidence. The prime accused, Pawan Nayak, a private contractor from Karpa village in Anuppur district, Madhya Pradesh, is still on the run.
The incident occurred at around 2:20 pm on July 13, when three wagons of an empty N-Box-914 rake derailed on Line No. 3 near Platform No. 2 at Kargi Road railway station. A preliminary inquiry found that a JCB machine bucket left on the railway track caused the accident.
Investigators found that Pawan Nayak had ordered the JCB bucket from Indore. It was transported in the A-1 coach of Train No. 18233 Indore–Bilaspur Narmada Express with the help of a coach attendant. After being unloaded at Platform No. 2, five to six labourers attempted to move it towards Platform No. 1. However, when a goods train approached, they abandoned the heavy bucket on the track and fled, resulting in the derailment of three wagons.
Following the accident, the RPF examined CCTV footage from railway stations between Indore and Bilaspur. The footage showed the bucket being loaded into the A-1 coach at Indore railway station. Based on this evidence, the coach attendant was detained at Bilaspur railway station for questioning.
The interrogation led investigators to those involved in loading and unloading the equipment. Using mobile location data and other technical inputs, the Uslapur RPF Post arrested 10 accused under the Railways Act.
The arrested accused have been identified as Kamlesh Tekam alias Munna (25), Narhar Singh alias Pintu (35), Deva Singh alias Munna (38), Buddhu Singh (49), Chhatrapati Maravi (32), Lokesh Mandavi (19), Anurag Maravi (31), Abhishek Yadav (21), Mohammad Shamir (24) (coach attendant), and Amit Yadav (23). Officials said Abhishek Yadav had placed the order for the JCB bucket.
The RPF said main accused Pawan Nayak is still absconding. Search operations are underway at multiple locations, and officials expect to arrest him soon.
