Pune: Daund Railway Police have apprehended two individuals who had been absconding for 27 years in connection with a sabotage attempt on the Pune-Daund-Solapur railway line.

The suspects had tried to halt the Chennai Express in May 1997 with the intent of committing robbery. The accused, identified as Pintya Uchhanana Kale (45) and Subhash Banat Pawar (55), were arrested from different locations in Ahmednagar and Indapur districts.

The incident dates back to May 2, 1997, when Kale and Pawar placed large stones on the railway track between Uruli Kanchan and Yavat stations. The objective was to stop the Chennai Express, allowing them to loot the passengers.

Fortunately, their plan did not succeed, but the front portion of the diesel engine (cattle guard) sustained damage. A case was registered at the Daund Railway Police Station under Section 150 of the Railways Act, which deals with malicious acts intended to endanger the safety of trains and passengers. Despite the serious nature of the offense, both suspects managed to evade arrest for nearly three decades.

The breakthrough came on September 14, when the Daund Railway Police received crucial information about the whereabouts of the suspects. Kale was arrested from Vargad Vasti in Karjat Taluka, while Pawar was nabbed from Loni Devkar in Indapur Taluka.

Given the possibility of resistance from the suspects' families, the police conducted the operation with extra caution but managed to execute the arrests without incident.

Both suspects were produced before a court on September 15, where they were remanded to Yerawada Central Jail.

The arrests were made under the supervision of Pune Railway Superintendent Tushar Doshi, with additional guidance from Additional Superintendent Rohidas Pawar and Deputy Superintendent Mahesh Devikar.

Officers Anand Waghmare, Manoj Salve, Dhananjay Bir, and Narendra Pawar were instrumental in the successful execution of the operation.