Kerala Train Fire Incident Updates: In a major development in the Kerala train fire incident, a joint team of the Central Intelligence and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Maharashtra on Wednesday arrested the absconding suspect from Ratnagiri district. According to the Ratnagiri police, the suspect has been identified as Shahrukh Saifi.
Talking to the media, a Maharashtra official said that a team of Kerala Police has reached Ratnagiri and the accused has been handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Earlier on Tuesday, the Alappuzha-Kannur executive train was stopped at Kannur railway station and the coaches of the train were inspected by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
What was the incident?
On 3 April, at least three people died and several others were injured after an unidentified person sprinkled an inflammable substance inside a moving train compartment and set it on fire.
According to reports, the suspect doused a passenger with petrol and set it on fire inside the D1 compartment of the Alappuzha-Kannur Main Executive Express train near Elathur in Kozhikode district. One of the injured persons reported that an unidentified assailant threw an inflammable substance, apparently petrol or kerosene, and set the train on fire.
Bodies of a woman, an infant and a man, who went missing from the train after it caught fire, were recovered from the tracks near Elathur railway station late on Sunday night. Police believe they may have fallen from the train or attempted to get down after seeing the fire.
Read also: Kerala CM announces formation of SIT to probe train fire that claimed 3 lives, including infant
Sketch of the accused was prepared
After the incident, the Kerala Police had prepared a sketch of the suspect. The drawing was prepared at the Elathur police station in Kozhikode with the help of Razak, a key witness in the case.
Meanwhile, the suspect’s father claimed that his son was at home for the last two months and had not gone to Kerala. The suspect’s father said he works as a carpenter in the district and has studied till class 10.