- Parts used in coaches were sold with fake test certificates.
The investigation, which started after suddenly smoke was seen in a Punjab Mail coach in Firozpur in the month of March this year, has exposed a big racket of supplying fake electrical equipment in the Railways. The entire matter is related to fake safety equipment purchased under the official tender process of the Railways, which were fitted inside the coaches at the Matunga workshop of the Central Railway.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, the Railway Administration has officially lodged an FIR against the Kolkata-based supplier company at Shahu Nagar Police Station in Mumbai, which is directly accused of supplying fake Motor Protection Circuit Breaker (MPCB).
Why is MPCB necessary?
Actually, MPCB is a very important electrical safety component for railway coaches, whose main function is to protect the coach from major damage by stopping the power supply during overload or voltage fluctuation. Immediately after the incident, the Technical Investigation Committee constituted by the Central Railway made it clear in its report that a malfunction in these equipment could have directly posed a major threat to the safety of train passengers.
How did the matter come to light?
According to information received from railway officials, the Material Department of Central Railway had issued a tender for the purchase of these equipment on 8 November 2025, which this Kolkata company had won by claiming to provide genuine products of a reputed manufacturing company. After receiving the tender, a purchase order for 325 MPCBs was issued from the company on 10 December 2025, the delivery of which was handed over to the Railways in January 2026 with a forged test certificate of the original manufacturing company.
This complete security fraud came to light on March 7, 2026 when smoke was seen in coach number 222961 and initial investigation revealed that despite high voltage, these MPCBs were not tripped. When the Railway Administration, instead of just relying on the supplier’s documents, got it verified in detail, it came to light that this Kolkata company was not the authorized dealer of the original manufacturer and all the equipment was fake.
The confirmation of counterfeiting was further confirmed when on May 5, 2026, technical experts of the original manufacturing company certified in writing that at least five MPCBs from the supplied devices were completely counterfeit and their test certificates were also forged. On the basis of this detailed internal investigation and the report of experts, on the complaint of the Senior Material Manager of Matunga Workshop, Shahu Nagar Police has registered an FIR against the supplier under various sections of the Indian Code of Justice (BNS) and initiated further legal action.