Three teenagers were detained on suspicion of involvement in a deliberate fire at a relay cabinet in the Novosibirsk region. The information came through the Telegram channel Basis, which has been monitoring the incident and subsequent investigations.
According to available reports, the alarm was raised late in the evening on April 23 near the İnskaya station. Railway personnel acted quickly to extinguish the blaze, preventing damage to critical infrastructure. At the scene, investigators recovered a plastic bottle, a scrap of paper, and a pack of cigarettes, items that helped establish the sequence of events and the possible means used to initiate the fire.
On May 14, law enforcement officers detained three individuals, all 17 years old, residents of Novosibirsk, on suspicion of committing the crime. They reportedly admitted receiving a message via the Telegram app from an unidentified contact who offered payment to carry out several acts of sabotage on the railroad. This confession suggested a paid, planned attempt rather than a spontaneous act of vandalism.
During questioning, the teenagers described filming the arson act and sending the footage to paying clients to secure confirmation and payment. The reward for their involvement was 10,000 rubles, a sum that underscores the commercial nature of the wrongdoing and the perceived risk, as well as the potential for more serious charges if other accomplices are identified.
Following the arrest, authorities conducted searches at the suspects’ homes as part of the ongoing investigation. The case has been brought before authorities, and legal proceedings are underway to determine responsibility and appropriate penalties under the law.
In recent days, regional reports have noted separate incidents in nearby areas where local residents were detained under similar suspicions of setting relay cabinets on fire. These parallel events appear to form a pattern that has drawn the attention of regional security services and railway officials, who emphasize the importance of safeguarding critical infrastructure against deliberate interference and arson.
Earlier statements indicated that similar cases involved school-age individuals in other regions, including Udmurtia, where authorities investigated alleged arson involving relay cabinets. The pattern across multiple regions highlights a broader concern about the vulnerability of railway networks and the need for coordinated policing, community reporting, and thorough forensic work to deter future acts of sabotage.
Experts note that the combination of digital messaging platforms and the ease of access to potential collaborators can lower the barrier to participation in crime for young people. Stakeholders emphasize the value of early intervention, parental involvement, and clear consequences to dissuade minors from engaging in unlawful actions that endanger public safety and disrupt transportation networks. Community awareness campaigns and rail security protocols are being reviewed to reinforce resilience against similar threats in the future. (Citation: Basis Telegram channel)