NIA team in Odisha to quiz Puri train arson accused

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Nov 28:

Two days after the Odisha government wrote to the Centre for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the serial burning of three empty trains at Puri railway station on November 12, a team of the investigating agency today arrived here to interrogate the accused.

A team led by NIA SP Prashant Kumar arrived here this morning to interrogate Ramachandran Subhas to unravel possible terror link to the train arson incident.

Earlier yesterday, the Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court at Puri allowed the Government Railway Police (GRP) to take accused on a three day remand.

While the GRP had sought to take Ramachandran on a fresh remand for ten days, the SDJM court had kept its ruling reserved in the matter on November 23 following which Ramachandran was sent to the Puri district jail.

The lone accused arrested so far by the police, Ramachandran –a native of Tamil Nadu– during interrogations is learnt to have told the police that he had received rupees in lakhs from the members of a terror group and the module for arson in trains was prepared in Mumbai.

It may be recalled that a major fire had broke out at Puri Station on November 12, in which two coaches – each of Nandankanan Express, Tirupati Express and one coach of Puri-Howrah Express – were reduced to ashes even though there were no casualties and Ramachandran was arrested from the spot on November 12, a knife, a blade and a match box were seized from him.