YouTuber Gulzar Sheikh, who hails from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested by state police for endangering the lives of passengers by placing various objects, including cycles, soaps, and stones, on railway tracks after the Railway Protection Force (RPF) registered a formal complaint against him.
The Uttar Pradesh police said they have arrested the 24-year-old YouTuber— who boasts of more than 235,000 subscribers—after a post on microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter) claimed the man was playing with the safety of passengers by keeping objects such as gas cylinders, coins, bricks, etc. on the railway track.
Sharing a video on social media X to expose Sheikh’s reckless behaviour, @trainwalebhaiya highlighted the hazards posed to passengers, saying, “This is Mr Gulzar Sheikh from Lal Gopalganj, UP, who puts random things in front of trains for YouTube money, putting the lives of thousands of passengers in danger.” The post soon became viral, triggering urgent calls for action from Indian Railways and local authorities.
Soon after the post, the RPF Post Unchahar (Lucknow Division) under RPF Post Kunda acted promptly and filed a case against the YouTuber. The complaint cited violations under sections 147,145,153 of the Railway Act and specific sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, highlighting the risk of public mischief and potential train derailments.
The accused was arrested from his residence in the village of Khandrauli in Uttar Pradesh.
Taking to social media X, BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla referred to him as a “Rail Jihadi’ and confirmed his arrest. Poonawalla also thanked the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP Police, and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaihnaw for the prompt action.
“Rail Jihadi Gulzar arrested रेल जिहादी गुलज़ार गिरफ़्तार I assured you that Rail Jihadi won’t be spared by authorities @legalhindudef Thank you @myogiadityanath @Uppolice @RailMinIndia @AshwiniVaishnaw,” Poonawalla said.
Sheikh’s YouTube channel, “Gulzar Indian Hacker,” reveals a troubling array of videos featuring him placing various items on railway tracks. The channel, which has over 243 videos, includes one short that has garnered 15 million views.
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