Scorpio driver tries to jump tracks, has narrow escape

A 22-year-old driver had a brush with death after his Scorpio car got stuck between railway tracks near Dalwinagar railway gate, which has been shut for public use for the last couple of years. The incident occurred around 2.30 pm yesterday.

Stopped in the tracks: It took railway officials an hour to clear Deepak Kalbhor's four-wheeler off the tracks. Pics/Navnath Kaple

Locals claimed that car went onto to the railway tracks after the driver broke the gate. Though the car passed over the first set of tracks, it got stuck between the second one.

At the same time, a light engine was approaching the track. Two youngsters ran towards the engine and signaled it to stop, thus avoiding a major disaster.

"The driver fled the spot, leaving behind his vehicle, the moment he saw the engine approaching in the distance. It took railway officials an hour to clear the car off the tracks," said an eyewitness.

The Railway Police Force (RPF) traced the driver and arrested him. He was identified as Deepak Mahadev Kalbhor, a resident of Nigadi.

RPF inspector Shailendra Thakur of the Dehuroad police station said, "We have arrested the driver and he will be produced in the railways court tomorrow (Wednesday).

He will be booked under Sections 154 and 174 of the Railways Act, 1986, for posing danger to the tracks and the passengers of the Indian Railways."

Services unaffected
Railway officials said they were lucky because no train was scheduled on this route (Pune-Mumbai) due to which services remained undisturbed.

Commenting on the incident, railway spokesperson Y K Singh said, "It is dangerous to break the railway gate and drive car on to the railway tracks.

We will now beef up security across all the gates to avert such incidents in the future. We appeal to the citizens that they should respect rules laid down by the railway and avoid risking lives of others." u00a0