Kerala Train Arsonist Believed To Be Noida Man, Say Cops

KOZHIKODE: Evidence gathered by police a day after a man set passengers on fire on the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express, indicate that a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Noida who had arrived in Kerala recently, is involved.

In the horrific incident, three persons, a man, a woman and a two-and-a-half-year-old child, died when they apparently jumped off the train on seeing the arson attack in the D1 coach of the train after it passed the Elathur station on Sunday night.

According to reports, the assailant entered the compartment, splashed two bottles of petrol on passengers before setting them on fire and then escaped from the spot. Eight victims of the attack who sustained burn injuries are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. One of them is said to be in a critical condition.

From a notebook recovered from a bag believed to belong to the attacker, the police suspect the assailant to be ‘Sharukh Saifi’, a name which was scribbled on the notebook. The bag contained a mobile phone with no SIM card, a few items of clothing and some food items.

According to sources, the phone was switched off a few days ago in Delhi. The police also released a sketch of the suspect based on inputs from passengers in the compartment.

Meanwhile, an 18-member special investigation team headed by P Vikraman, SP, crime branch, Malappuram has constituted by the state government. Central agencies have been tasked with keeping an eye on the investigation as a terror angle to the entire incident has not been ruled out, even as the motive of the arsonist continued to be a mystery.

The 18-member special probe team includes Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) DySP Byju Poulose, Kozhikode Assistant Commissioner P Bijuraj and Tanur DySP V V Benny and inspectors and sub-inspectors from various stations. Vikraman had served with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Kochi and was a member of the team that probed many terrorism-related incidents including the Kashmir recruitment case.

ADGP (Law and Order) Ajith Kumar will supervise the investigation.

Some media reports suggested that the suspect Sharukh Saifi was taken into custody from Kannur after he visited the government district hospital to receive treatment for burns received during the attack. But the police denied such assertions.

State police chief Anil Kant told reporters in Kannur that some crucial information about the attacker has received. They are trying to ‘decipher’ the writings in the notebook recovered from the bag, including some names.

Also Read: 3 Killed After Unidentified Man Pours Petrol On Passengers, Sets Them Afire On Kerela Train

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