BENGALURU: An intruder who entered the elevated viaduct (bridge like structure where rail tracks are laid) between Pattanagere and Jnanabharathi Metro stations on Metro’s Purple Line to commit a theft forced a partial disruption of Metro train operations for 27 minutes on Tuesday afternoon.
Train services were halted between 3 pm and 3.27 pm between Mysuru Road and Challaghatta Metro stations as the electrical power supply was switched off immediately by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).
Train operations continued unaffected between Mysuru Road and Kadugodi (Whitefield) stations.
A S Shankar, Executive Director, Operations and Maintenance, told TNIE, “We had put in place a patrolling team from our security team on our railway tracks following six incidents of individuals entering railway tracks unauthorisedly in the last two months to commit thefts. They attempt to steal the signalling cables that have copper in them and this can affect operations. One of our patrolling staff spotted him. Power supply was switched off immediately so that our security team could rush and nab him. However, the miscreant managed to escape, possibly by sliding down a tree.”
The search for him is on, he added.
BMRCL MD Maheshwar Rao said, “It is suspected he entered the viaduct by removing the grating provided at the manhole installed in the viaduct area to drain water and for maintenance.
Shankar added that three such instances of intruders walking on the viaduct have been reported in the same stretch in the past and also on the viaducts of Mahalakshmi Layout and Rajaji Nagar metro stations.
“They had opened the manholes in the viaduct area to steal the copper in the cables. This made us constitute the patrolling team,” he added.
A senior security official said that three metres of copper wire was found thrown on the viaduct.
“He has possibly abandoned them before running from the spot. A Non-Cognisable Report has been filed by BMRCL at the Jnanabharathi police station. A team from the crime department too visited the spot to help us out,” he said.