A suspect in the arson attack onboard a moving train near Kozhikode on Sunday night has been taken into custody by the Maharashtra police on the night of April 4, according to reports. Three people who fell off the train while trying to escape from the fire had died and eight others were injured following the attack. The suspect had sprinkled petrol on the seated passengers of the D1 coach of the Kannur-Alappuzha Executive train on April 2, leading to widespread panic.
Kerala State Police Chief Anil Kant said the suspected accused has been taken into custody by the Maharashtra police with help from central agencies. “It was a combined effort by the Special Investigation Team constituted by us.He’ll be brought back to Kerala. I am in touch with the Maharashtra DGP. Further details on the interrogation will be shared with the media at an appropriate time,” said Anil Kant.
The suspect was arrested from a hospital at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra while trying to escape according to reports by multiple television channels, which also flashed the pictures of a person with burn injuries on face, said to have been inflicted while trying to escape after committing the crime. The Kerala Police, which is investigating the crime, had earlier released the sketch of a suspect.
Police had recovered a bag containing documents and notebook related to a person identified as Shahrukh Saifi from the crime spot. There was no confirmation from the police whether the person apprehended in Maharashtra was the same person they were on the lookout for.
Earlier reports had identified Saifi as a native of Noida in Uttar Pradesh. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) with Crime Branch Superintendent of Police P Vikraman as the head has been set up to probe the crime. The team has 18 members. The Railway Police which registered a case is also probing the incident.
The attack happened after the train left Kozhikode railway station at around 9.20 pm. According to an eye witness, the attacker had two bottles of petrol with him which he sprinkled on passengers.