Railway police's explosive letter claims none of the five arrested for placing a huge chunk of track on rail line at Diva was at the spot at the time of the incident
The Mumbra police with the arrested accused; (right) mid-day’s report on January 28, 2017
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The mystery behind the Diva rail sabotage case refuses to die down. First, it was suspected terrorists placed a seven-metre-long piece of track across the broadgauge line, but the ATS said there was no terror angle. Recently, Thane police pinned blame on five alleged drug addicts. Now, the GRP claims in an explosive letter that none of the five arrested was at the spot at the time of the incident, according to cell data.
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Whoever would have thought that a terror alert, which had kept the ATS, NIA and other security agencies on their toes for days, would water down to, well, nothing! That's what seems to be happening in the Diva railway sabotage case, wherein a long iron rod weighing over 300 kg was found placed on the tracks to allegedly derail a train on the Diva-Panvel route.
After the Thane GRP registered a case and started an investigation along with the top agencies, owing to the possibility of a terror link, it came down to five druggies, who were held responsible for the mischief over a bet of R2,000. And now, it turns out, the GRP are not sure if the five that the Mumbra police have arrested in the case are the ones involved in the sabotage — one of the biggest reasons being different mobile tower locations of the five at the time of the incident. While one's was in Nashik, location of four people came up as Mumbra near the incident spot an hour before the crime happened. And it's also come to light that these four, who were near the spot, aren't the ones who have been arrested.
Burning questions
The GRP last week shot off a letter to the Mumbra police, asking them about the evidence gathered after the arrest of five. "However, we still haven't got any response and the accused have now been sent to magistrate custody," an officer said.
On April 14, the Mumbra police arrested Danish Akbar Shaikh (26), Suraj Dinesh Bhosle (25), Mohammed Shabbir Shaikh (34), Nazir Sayed (24) and Jayesh Pare (30). They were produced in court and sent to police custody till April 17. The Mumbra police had booked them under section 399 (preparation to commit dacoity) and 402 (assembling for purpose of committing dacoity) of the Indian Penal Code, and under relevant sections of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Also read - Diva railway sabotage case: Bet for Rs 2,000 was behind iron rod on tracks
In a press conference held after their arrest, Thane police commissioner Parambir Singh had said Maula Makandar, lodged in Taloja jail, had placed a bet with the five, all drugs addicts, saying he would give them Rs 2,000 if they placed an iron rod on a track to derail a train.
The Thane GRP now want to know the concrete evidence based on which these six have been shown as involved, as, they say, nothing other than their confessions has come out so far.
All in 13 minutes?
A major tragedy was averted on January 24 this year when a 6.32-metre long iron rod, weighing 352 kg, was found on the tracks on the Diva-Panvel route. A motorman saw it and stopped the train. The Thane GRP registered a case and conducted an investigation along with the security agencies.
On April 18, the GRP took custody of Makandar, and on April 19, of the five addicts. "During investigation, they traced the location of all five and found that the tower location of one showed Nashik, and of four Mumbra," said a senior railway police officer investigating the case.
He added that, in the meantime, the Mumbra police arrested them, saying they had confessed to the crime. "The GRP investigated and found no evidence against them. After the 10.23 pm train passed, the motorman of the 10.36 pm train saw the rod. He didn't see any person around. So, the accused, who said they were drunk and under the influence of drugs, had 13 minutes to place the rod on the track in perfect alignment. How did they manage in such a state?" asked the officer.
The Thane GRP also said they had arrested Makandar in a mobile theft case this March but didn't have much evidence themselves.
No reply
The letter to the Mumbra police asks what evidence has been gathered, other than their confession. "On April 24, all were sent to magistrate custody. We asked the Mumbra police to share the spot panchnama, witnesses examined, and other links based on which they were planning to prove the case, but it's been over a week and we still haven't got a reply," said a senior GRP officer.
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A team of senior GRP officers is probing the matter. Sources said ADG of Maharashtra State Security Corporation Jai Jeet Singh has also written a letter to the Thane police. However, when contacted, Singh denied that and said, "I have not written any letter, but the investigation in the case is on. I am monitoring the case personally."
mid-day tried to reach GRP commissioner Nikhet Kaushik, but he was unavailable.
Deputy commissioner of police, Thane city (zone I), DS Swami said, "I am not aware of the letter. I will inquire about it with the Mumbra police, whether they have received it."
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