(SHIZ) — Quadling Yard investigators say the illegal temporal portal near Shiz on Thursday appears to have been deliberately created.
Detectives have now opened a full criminal investigation after the mysterious gateway began randomly transporting passengers across Oz earlier this week.
Officials say the portal first formed near a busy OzRail Purple Line platform just outside Shiz University.
The strange phenomenon caused panic Thursday morning when riders aboard a northbound train began disappearing mid-journey.
Several passengers were later discovered in locations hundreds of miles apart, including Emerald City plazas and remote farm roads in Winkie Country.
Chief Investigator Thomas Brownwick says inspectors moved quickly once the first incident reports reached Quadling Yard headquarters.
Brownwick says investigators secured the station area within hours and began analyzing what appears to be unstable temporal magic.
“Early indicators suggest the portal was not naturally occurring,” Brownwick said. “It may have been opened intentionally through illegal chronomantic spellwork.”
Specialists from the Arcane Sciences Department at the Royal Academy are helping to stabilize and permanently close the anomaly.
Officials say the portal remains unpredictable and continues to open and collapse in irregular bursts near the rail platform.
Transport authorities say OzRail crews immediately suspended Purple Line service through the affected area.
OzRail spokesperson Barty Jackson says safety remains the top priority while inspectors determine what caused the incident.
“Our crews are assisting investigators and monitoring rail infrastructure for additional disturbances,” Jackson said.
Meanwhile, passengers who vanished from the trains and platform are slowly being accounted for as authorities track where the portal deposited them.
One commuter, Mertha Smithammer, was found hours later near the Emerald City marketplace with no memory of how she arrived there.
Investigators say that pattern is consistent among several of the victims.
Brownwick says inspectors are now examining nearby magical equipment shops, spell registries, and university laboratories for clues.
Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the portal could expand or become interdimensional if left uncontrolled.
Residents across Gillikin Country are being urged to report unusual magical activity while the investigation continues.
