Man arrested for theft of Railway clips

The Railway Protection Force on Saturday arrested an outsider for unlawful possession of railway property near the Mettupalayam Railway Station yard.
According to officials, the arrest was made at around 8.35 a.m. by RPF personnel led by Harischandran K. P. The accused was identified as Palanisamy Arumugam, 43, son of Arumugam, a resident of Thevangapuram, Pogalur Vali, Pallepalayam in Coimbatore district.
He was apprehended near OHE Mast No. 33/1 within the Mettupalayam Railway Station yard while in possession of 10 railway elastic rail clips, valued at approximately Rs 1,000. The materials were suspected to have been stolen railway property.
The seized items were taken into custody under a seizure mahazar after recording the voluntary confessional statement of the accused in the presence of RPF staff and an independent witness.
Following the arrest, a case was registered at the RPF Post, Mettupalayam, in Crime No. 01 of 2026 under Section 3(a) of the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Amendment Act, 2012.
The accused, along with the seized railway materials, was produced before the Judicial Magistrate I Court, Coimbatore (Leave Court). The court remanded him to judicial custody till January 23, 2026, following which he was lodged at the Central Prison, Coimbatore.
Railway authorities reiterated their strict vigilance against theft and illegal possession of railway property to ensure passenger safety and uninterrupted train operations.