THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Railway police on Sunday arrested a 19-year-old youth for allegedly ransacking the window panes of 19 cars that were parked in the parking area of Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station on Saturday night.
The railway police officers said the youth, identified as Poojappura-native Abraham, went berserk in an intoxicated condition. He had picked up a quarrel with his family members and left the house at midnight. Upon entering the parking lot, he ransacked the window panes and dashboards of cars using rocks. The visuals of the attack were retrieved from CCTV cameras and that helped the cops to identify the suspect.
The police said they took the suspect from his house and he has confessed to the crime. The police sources, meanwhile, said the youth could have been under the influence of synthetic drugs. Initially, it was thought that thieves might have smashed the windows to steal valuables. However, the owners said no valuable items were stolen though in some cases, trifle items such as goggles were reported missing.
The pay-and -park area of the railway station is being run by a private contractor, who is responsible for the safety of vehicles. The police said there were lapses from the side of the security men deployed by the contractor and he has agreed to compensate the losses.
"If the owners spent more money than what the insurance companies allow as compensation for repairing the damage, the contractor will pay the excess amount," said an officer.