Mumbai: Central Railway has tracked down the woman whose video of cooking instant noodles in a household electric kettle inside the AC coach of an express train had gone viral. Chinchwad resident Saritatai Lingayat has been booked under Section 154 of the Railways Act for endangering the safety of passengers, said CR officials. They added that she released an apology video only after she was traced and action was initiated.On Oct 16, Lingayat, who has more than 1.5 lakh followers on Instagram, was travelling from Haridwar to Pune on the 07364 special train in coach B2, seats 65 to 68, when she used the mobile/laptop charging socket to plug in an electric kettle and cook noodles and boil water. The video, which she uploaded on Nov 20, showed her preparing tea and noodles inside the running train. It quickly went viral across Instagram, X and other platforms, prompting CR’s Mumbai division to begin verification and initiate legal action.Following the action, Lingayat posted a clarification video stating that the footage was recorded nearly two months ago during her return journey from Kedarnath–Badrinath. She said she heated water because a patient travelling with her group needed hot water on Ekadashi. She added that a fellow passenger observing the fast requested tea mixed with rock sugar, which she prepared and shared among six to seven passengers. Lingayat said a young girl later requested noodles, and she cooked a small portion in the electric kettle. “The children then insisted that the video be uploaded on Instagram. I had no bad intentions,” she said.In her apology reel, Lingayat added, “I made a big mistake. A mother never harms her children. You should not repeat what I did.” She also said she bore no ill-will toward those who circulated the clip online.
