CHENNAI: The journey of a senior railway security official was derailed at the last moment on Tuesday night, after the compartment in which he was supposed to travel was raided by the CBI and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials.
Acting on a tip-off that a huge amount of cash besides gold jewellery was in the coach, the vigilance officials undertook a complete search, lasting several hours, which ultimately yielded nothing. The officer was attached to the Integral Coach Factory here, as its chief security commissioner.
According to sources, an exclusive compartment or a saloon was being attached to the Tiruchirapalli - Howrah Express (train number 12664), which arrived at Egmore in Chennai at around 10 pm on Tuesday night. The officer, occupying a senior position, was entitled to travel in the saloon which has all amenities onboard including pantry facilities when on official duty. The train left Tiruchirapalli on Tuesday evening at 4 pm and was supposed to halt at Egmore for about half an hour, before continuing its journey to Howrah.
Sources say the personal belongings of the officer were loaded onto the saloon in the evening itself. When the train arrived in Egmore on platform 5, steps were taken to attach the saloon. But, a communication was issued to the operating department about the surprise search, following which the saloon was detached and taken to the parcel office. “From 11 pm to 4 am on Wednesday morning, the vigilance officials conducted a thorough checkup. The security officer was also interrogated. But nothing was found,” the source said.