Woman pushed off moving train suffers miscarriage

A 36-year-old woman, who was pushed off a moving train by a man during an attempt to sexually assault her near Katpadi, lost her unborn child on Saturday. She was four months pregnant.

She was pushed off the train on Thursday by history-sheeter Hemanthraj, 31. He was arrested by the Government Railway Police, Jolarpet, on Friday.

Confirming the miscarriage, Vellore Collector V.R. Subbulaxmi told The Hindu that the woman had been in the second trimester of her pregnancy when the incident occurred. She sustained fractures to her hand and leg, and received at least 20 stitches on her head. She was later shifted to the orthopaedics intensive care unit (ICU) at a government hospital on Saturday for continuous observation, the Collector said. “However, during a routine scan around 12.30 p.m., doctors found that the heartbeat of the baby had stopped. Doctors said that it might have happened due to the shock she had encountered. However, the vital parameters of the mother remain stable,” the Collector, who had earlier visited the survivor and assured her of support, said.

Ex gratia provided

Meanwhile, senior officials from the Chennai Division of Southern Railway handed over an ex gratia of ₹50,000 to the survivor at the hospital. Additional Divisional Railway Manager Tej Partap Singh handed over the compensation in the presence of Senior Divisional Commercial Manager M. Bharat Kumar and Chief Medical Superintendent of Chennai Division, Southern Railway, S.V.O. Chandrakumar. The team assured her of all possible assistance, a release said.

‘A murder accused’

According to police, Hemanthraj, who was involved in the murder of a 33-year-old woman in Chennai in 2024, was out on conditional bail.

The police further said that Hemanthraj had been in acquaintance with the victim, V. Deepa, a resident of Pulianthope, for several years.

While he was working at a private firm in the city, Deepa was employed at a mobile phone showroom.

Deepa, a divorcee, used to repeatedly urge Hemanthraj to marry her. However, he evaded her request, resulting in frequent quarrels between them.

On April 14, Deepa left her house, informing her mother, V. Sivagami, that she was travelling to Gudiyatham to meet a friend. She boarded a train from Chennai, but could not be reached after a while. Her phone was switched off as well.

Confessed to murder

On a complaint filed by Deepa’s parents, the police traced her last known location to Gudiyatham. Upon finding out that Deepa made frequent calls to Hemanthraj, the police picked him up from his village for questioning.

Upon interrogation, he reportedly confessed to killing Deepa at a hillock when she tried to pressure him into marrying her. The police recovered her body, mobile phone, and a bag from the crime scene.

Secured conditional bail

Hemanthraj was under trial at the Sessions Court in Vellore. According to legal provisions, undertrials can be detained for a maximum of 90 days, after which they become eligible for conditional bail. Subsequently, he secured bail from the Madras High Court a few months ago.

The police are looking into how he secured bail despite his past record.