Kannur: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested three persons in connection with two separate stone-pelting incidents on trains in Malappuram and Kannur districts. The RPF team had taken into custody, Mahe resident M P Saidees, on Wednesday for allegedly throwing a stone at a Vande Bharat train on August 16 when it passed through Tanur-Tirur region of Malappuram District.
Meanwhile, in another incident, two hawkers selling local products on trains were arrested on Thursday for allegedly throwing stones at each other during a brawl which accidently hit the Ernad Express at Thalassery station. A Railway official said the RPF examined 15 CCTV visuals from the Vande Bharat express and numerous other cameras from Mahe railway station, as part of the probe to nab the accused in the stone-pelting incident of August 16.
The RPF also examined numerous phone calls and identified the accused, the official said, adding that Saidees was produced before a local court in Thalassery on Thursday which remanded him to judicial custody till September 7. In the other incident, two hawkers, Sadhik Ali (30) and Moithu (53) were arrested from Vadakara on Thursday.Officials said they got into a fight after which they threw stones at each other, accidently hitting the train at Thalassery station. Both of them were arrested and let off on bail.
In recent times, multiple incidents of stone-pelting on trains have been reported from the southern state. On August 21, window panes of a Vande Bharat express and a Rajdhani express were damaged in such attacks. Similar incidents of stone-pelting on trains were reported on August 13, when the Mangaluru-Chennai Superfast Express and Netravati Express were attacked by miscreants in Kannur district. Prior to that a Vande Bharat train was pelted with stones a couple of times in May after it was launched in Kerala by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April this year. (PTI)
