Taking over the Gyaneswari Express sabotage probe, the Crime Branch of India registered a case on Wednesday. The special crime branch (SCB) of the Crime Branch of India registered the case (no 4/10) at its Kolkata office. Joint director (Kolkata Zone) of the CBI Suman Bala Sahoo is leading the probe.
Confirming the development, CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal said, “The CBI has received all the papers related to the earlier case.” Earlier a case (no. 05/10) under section 427 IPC, 150/151 Indian Railways Act and Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act) was registered at the Jhargram government railway police station on May 28 following the incident. The state CID was then in charge of the investigation. Senior officers of the CBI may fly down from New Delhi to Kolkata and visit the site of sabotage at Sardiha in West Midnapore to assist the investigating officers.
Besides, the special crime branch is now going to take Maoist-backed People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities members Khagen Mahato and Sameer Mahato in their custody from the CID for further interrogations. They were arrested by the CID for their alleged connections in the train sabotage which claimed nearly 150 lives early on May 28.