Woman drives car on railway track in Telangana, disrupts train services

A young woman created a scare by driving a car on a railway track near Hyderabad on Thursday, 26 June.

The woman drove the car for about seven kilometres in the Rangareddy district, disrupting railway traffic for about two hours in the morning.

At a level crossing at Kondakal, she turned the car onto the track, sending panic among passersby. Locals tried to stop her at Nagulapalli, but she allegedly threatened them with a knife and sped away.

She drove the car for a distance of about seven kilometres between Nagulapalli and Shankarpalli. A train coming on the same track was stopped after the loco pilot applied the brakes on spotting the car, averting a disaster.

The young woman's action sent the railway staff into a tizzy. Later, the railway employees, with the help of locals, managed to stop the car and overpowered her.

Local police rushed to the spot and took her into custody. The woman was identified as Ravika Soni, a native of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

She was said to be working as a software engineer at a company in Hyderabad. She was recently removed from the job and was reportedly suffering from depression.

Police were questioning her to find out whether she did that to make reels. She was sent for medical examination. Police personnel had a tough time controlling her.

Police officials said they have informed her family members.

The woman's action disrupted railway traffic on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru routes. Some trains were stopped at the surrounding railway stations.

Railway police also launched an investigation into the incident. The railway authorities have taken a serious note of the breach, as this could have resulted in a disaster.

Preliminary investigation by police revealed that the woman reached Kondakal from Narsingi and instead of crossing the railway gate, she turned the vehicle onto the track, triggering panic.