Half-kilometre of Railway track stolen from high-security port area in Kochi

Kochi: In a bizarre and unprecedented security breach, nearly half a kilometre (500 metres) of steel railway tracks has been cut and stolen from the high-security Willingdon Island port zone in Kochi. The Kochi Port Authority has initiated an internal inquiry to investigate the massive theft occurring directly under the nose of Central security forces.

The stolen sections belong to an old, disused rail line that has been largely forgotten and overgrown with wild vegetation ever since container operations shifted to Vallarpadam. The theft came to light on Wednesday evening following specific intelligence reports received by the railway authorities, who conducted a spot inspection to confirm the missing tracks.

The stolen steel lines span the stretch from the Q9 berth up to the Tata Tetley factory premises. This particular track once crossed the main road in front of Tata Tetley and ran directly up to the Mattancherry Wharf and Harbour Terminus railway station, previously utilised for transporting coal to industries like HNL in Velloor.

Security lapse triggers suspicion of inside help

The incident has sent shockwaves through the maritime and railway administration due to the sheer logistical challenge of cutting and moving tonnes of heavy steel rails. What makes the heist deeply mysterious is that Willingdon Island is a heavily fortified zone completely restricted from the general public. The area is under round-the-clock surveillance by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Concrete sleeper blocks that held the iron tracks were found smashed and scattered all over the site. Investigators suspect a meticulously planned inside operation. Officials are currently looking into whether the theft was executed under the guise of recent authorised maintenance works, during which certain railway girders were legally dismantled in the vicinity.Because the line had seen no freight traffic for years, it lacked regular patrol oversight from either the Port Trust or the Southern Railway. While the Port Authority has launched a high-level internal probe to trace how heavy machinery and transport trucks managed to smuggle out the metal without raising red flags, an official criminal complaint is yet to be registered with the local police.