Railway engineer chops up vintage steam engine for scrap in Bihar's Purnea

 A railway engineer has been suspended in Bihar's Purnia for allegedly trying to illegally sell an vintage steam engine as 'scrap'. According to Divisional Railway Manager Alok Agrawal of East-Central Railway's Samastipur Division, an FIR has been registered against seven persons, including engineer Rajiv Ranjan Jha, in Banmankhi of Purnea district.

According to reports, the engineer was spotted on December 14 while cutting a vintage meter gauge engine with a gas cutter. The engine had been kept at Purnea for public display. Jha's assistant, Sushil Yadav, was also at the spot when the crime was being committed. The duo was spotted by MM Rehman, a sub-inspector posted at the Railway Protection Force post, who enquired about what they were up to. 

Railway officials say that the engineer showed the RPF sub-inspector a letter, which said that the Divisional Mechanical Engineer had ordered that scrap material from the meter gauge engine be removed and taken to the diesel locomotive shed. The scandal came to light when the RPF personnel informed her superiors that the 'scrap' had not reached the shed. Further investigation revealed that no such order had been issued for the transportation of the junk and that Jha had forged the letter.

After the scam came to light, Jha and his assistant are absconding. Authorities have informed that the accused would be tracked down and punished as per the Railway Property Act. An RPF sub-inspector posted in the diesel shed has also been suspended for negligence. The police have also confiscated the crane used to transport the illegal goods that were ripped off from the engine as scrap. The police are still tracing the material.

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• East Central Railway
• bihar
• indian railways
• railway engineer
• steam engine