Kollam: Two conflicting theories have emerged regarding the incident in which a telephone pole was placed across a railway track in Kollam. While police suspect an attempt to derail a train, the accused claim they only intended to break the cast iron pole using the train's impact.

The two suspects, Rajesh and Arun, were taken into custody and are currently being interrogated. Both have multiple criminal cases against them and are known drug users, Kollam Rural SP Sabu said. One of the accused has 11 cases registered against him, while the other faces five, including an assault case against former Kundara SI Ambarish. They were reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. Police are investigating whether others were involved in the act. Since two posts were placed on the track, officers suspect a deliberate attempt to cause derailment.

Meanwhile, the accused claimed they stole the cast iron post and placed it on the track, believing the Palaruvi Express, which passes through the area in the early hours, would shatter it into pieces.

Police are examining all angles and trying to dig more information.

How police nabbed suspects

The Cyber Cell and Kundara police made the arrests after analysing CCTV footage, which showed the suspects riding a scooter near the crime scene two days before the incident. During a routine night patrol, police had earlier noticed them in the area but let them go. However, a subsequent review of CCTV footage and mobile tower location data confirmed their presence near the railway track at the time of the incident.

Kollam Rural SP and his team questioned the duo on Saturday evening, with further interrogation by the Kundara CI scheduled later.