Asish Mehta
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Nov 20: Ramachandran Subhash, the main accused in the Puri serial train fire incident who was brought to the capital city on a six-day remand Friday, has reportedly confessed to being a part of a gang based at Metiabruz in Kolkata and that the gang had asked him to set afire three empty train coaches to test his capabilities.
According to highly-placed sources, Subhash, who was brought by Mancheswar GRP to the capital city for further interrogation, told cops that he had also set ablaze empty train coaches in Haridwar and other parts of the country earlier. The cops are now probing whether he has any links with the Maoists or any terror outfit, said the sources.
Subhash, who had earlier told the media that a few terrorists had directed him to burn some empty train coaches in Puri, reportedly told the cops that he planted two bombs in each of the four train coaches in Puri and burnt another coach “by a different tactic”.
The RPF had earlier taken Subhash on 2-day remand for the November 12 burning of five empty coaches of three trains in Puri.
“Subhash has said that the gang that directed him to set ablaze the empty coaches in Puri was testing his capabilities. If found successful, he would be used by the gang for bigger operations in future,” said a senior official familiar with the investigations and interrogations to Orissa POST.
According to the sources, Subhash was guided by five people from the gang who were also present at Puri railway station during the setting afire of the train coaches. The five people, suspected to be the handlers of Subhash, managed to flee, said the sources.
Metiabruz, once known as the second Lucknow and labeled for long as a den of crime, is a place where several gangs operate. According to police sources, some of these gangs have links with global terror outfit ISIS.
GRP officials, who declined to speak on record on the progress of their investigations, hinted that they would seek permission from Orissa High Court to conduct a polygraph test on Subhash.
On the possibility of Subhash being associated with any terror outfit, Bhubaneswar GRP inspector-in-charge Saubhagya Kumar Swain said it was “very difficult” to say anything on this part at this point of time.
Khurda DSP (GRP) DK Das, who is now investigating the case, refused to give details on the unfolding investigations, saying he was very busy in interrogating Subhash here.
Police have so far maintained that Subhash is mentally unstable and that whatever he has been saying lacks coherence. These claims were also echoed by Subhash’s family based in Tamil Nadu.
At least three language interpreters from Tamil Nadu have been called to Mancheswar GRP for helping the cops question Subhash more precisely.
