Around a dozen miscreants on Wednesday evening “hijacked” Gondia-Durg Jan Shatabdi Express near Sarona railway station, nearly 20 km from here, to free an alleged hardcore criminal, travelling in the train under police escort, official sources said.
The undertrial prisoner, Upendra Singh, was returning to Raipur in the train under police escort after attending hearing of a murder case, slapped against him, at Durg, nearly 60 km from here.
The assailants, associates of the murder accused, mounted the engine room and forced the driver and his assistant under gun point to stop the train at a place identified by them.
“The driver and the assistant driver were injured in the attack by the assailants, who forced them to stop the train at a place near Sarona railway station. Both were admitted in government medical college hospital at Raipur. We have registered a case in this connection with GRP at Raipur railway police station,” railway PRO Ratan Basak told this newspaper.
According Raipur district senior superintendent of police (SSP) Deepansu Karba, around a dozen miscreants boarded the train at Durg and took their seats close to the murder accused. Three policemen were escorting the handcuffed under-trail prisoner.
Suddenly, the assailants attacked the police escorts with chilli powder and butts of country made guns, they were carrying, when the train was approaching Sarona railway station. They then pulled the chain after freeing the accused from the policemen.