Youth gets inside engine cabin, tries to operate EMU

CHENNAI: In a bizarre incident that happened in Chengalpattu railway station, a young man ‘waylaid’ an EMU, entered the loco pilot cabin and tried to operate the EMU. The drama ended after railway staff and public managed to pull him out and thrashed him before handing him over to the police.

The incident happened around noon on Thursday when the Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu EMU was about to enter the Chengalpattu railway station.

When the train came near the station platform, the loco pilot reduced to speed. That is when he noticed a young man standing on the railway track. The youth did not move away despite the pilot sounding the horn several times. This forced the loco pilot to stop the EMU even before it entered the station. As soon as it came to a halt, the man got inside the cabin.

Alarmed by this, the loco pilot and guard turned off the engine and jumped off the train. The man then locked himself inside the cabin and tried to turn on the engine on his own. Noticing that something was amiss, the commuters came near the engine. The people and railway staff pulled the intruder out of the cabin, said officials, adding that he was given a sound thrashing before being handed over to the police.

During inquiry, the police identified him as Suresh (24) of Ariyalur, an MCA graduate who was working in a firm in Siruseri. The police have detained Suresh and are verifying his background. Following the incident, the Chengalpattu-Tambaram EMU services were affected for a while.