Daop 7 Madiun Reports a Case of Rail Theft in Blitar

JAKARTA - PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) Regional Operation (Daop) 7 Madiun, East Java reported a suspected case of railway theft in the Blitar area which threatened the safety of train and passenger travel.

Public Relations Manager of PT KAI Daop 7 Madiun Tohari said the alleged case of theft of the railway track was revealed on Wednesday (7/1) morning at around 06.00 WIB.

"At that time, the Head of the Railway (Karu) B.2, Jaryanto, received information that residents had managed to secure a suspected perpetrator of stealing bolts for rail pads belonging to PT KAI. The suspected perpetrator was then handed over to the Sanankulon Police, Sanankulon District, Blitar City to be processed according to applicable laws," he said as reported by ANTARA.

His party explained that from the results of coordination between the B Cannon Security Unit, Karu B.2, and the KUPT of the 7.11 Blitar Railway, the perpetrators not only acted in one location.

Based on the results of the examination at KM 127+358 of the Blitar-Rejotangan road section, initially 13 anchor bolts were found missing. However, the police revealed that the perpetrators' actions were spread across the Daop 7 Madiun line. Daop 7 has also officially reported the case to the police.

"From the development of the police investigation, the perpetrator admitted that he had committed theft in at least five different points with a total loss of 108 rail fastening bolts," said Tohar.

He explained that the theft locations admitted by the perpetrators included BH 537 KM 133+723, BH 536 KM 133+254, BH 532 KM 131+770, BH 524 KM 127+851 and BH 522 KM 127+358.

He said the perpetrator admitted that the stolen goods were sold to scrap dealers in Rembang Village, Sananwetan District, Blitar City.

As a result of the theft, KAI suffered material losses of around Rp4,133,700.

Tohari emphasized that the rail fastening bolts are vital components that function to maintain the position and stability of the rail to remain in accordance with technical safety standards.

"If one of the anchor bolts is missing, the potential for disruption of the line increases. Moreover, if dozens of bolts are stolen, the risk can lead to a train falling. This is not about the value of old iron, but about human safety," he said.

His party revealed that the act of stealing the railway line had a heavy criminal threat as stipulated in Law Number 23 of 2007 concerning Railways.

KAI Daop 7 Madiun, he said, also conveyed the highest appreciation to the community and the ranks of the Sanankulon Police who had shown concern for the security of state assets.

KAI also continues to increase open and closed security patrols along the train line as a preventive measure.

"On this line, there are 34 long-distance train trips and Dhoho / Panataran local trains every day, with a passenger volume of 400-900 KAJJ customers and 1,500-2,000 local train customers per day. Therefore, safety of the line is a dead price that cannot be negotiated," said Tohari.

His party also invited all elements of the community to help maintain the safety of train travel by immediately reporting suspicious activities around the rail line through the nearest station officer.