KANPUR: A burning 5-kg gas cylinder was found on Wednesday night alongside the Delhi–Prayagraj railway track, about 2 km from Kanpur Central Railway Station, after police and RPF teams received information from a passenger travelling on a train. DCP East Satyajeet Gupta said the information was received through Dial 112 that a cylinder had caught fire around 2 km ahead of the station. Local police and officials immediately reached the spot and inspected the site. A bag was found lying nearby containing clothes, utensils, a hammock, a mobile phone, an Aadhaar card and other belongings. The Aadhaar card belonged to Om Prakash Mishra (52) from Pratapgarh. Police recovered his mobile phone and documents from the spot. No person was found there after the incident. Preliminary investigation suggested that the cylinder may have burst when the bag fell during the journey, causing it to catch fire. It is suspected that the bag fell from the Prayagraj-bound Mahabodhi Express. When police tried to contact Om Prakash Mishra using the mobile number, his son answered the call. He said that Mishra had left Delhi for Pratapgarh. He is addicted to alcohol and had left home without informing anyone, taking about Rs 7,000 and his belongings. Mishra, originally from Pratapgarh, was working as a security guard in Delhi with his son. It is suspected that after a quarrel, he packed his belongings and was travelling to his village when the bag fell off the train. Police said another possibility is that passengers may have thrown the cylinder out of the train after a gas leak. In such a case, the cylinder could have hit a rock, causing a puncture and catching fire. Teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), GRP, RPF and the Crime Branch inspected the site along with police officials. The possibility of conspiracy or mischief is also being probed. RPF and local police have launched a search for Om Prakash Mishra. Action may also be taken against him for carrying a gas cylinder on a train. CCTV footage from the station and surrounding areas is being examined. An investigation is underway to determine whether the bag was thrown or fell on its own.
