KOZHIKODE: Shahrukh Saifi had originally booked a ticket to Kozhikode from New Delhi but changed his plans and disembarked at Shoranur railway station instead, according to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Elathur train arson attack case. The SIT believes that this deliberate action was an attempt to mislead the police.
The officials also believe that Saifi received local support from Shoranur, which is why he spent more than 14 hours there before boarding the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train. They assert that the attack was premeditated, and Saifi had planned to book a ticket to Kozhikode in order to carry out the crime. With the help of local support in Shoranur, Kozhikode, and Kannur, he was able to execute his plan.
The investigation team has also questioned the auto-rickshaw driver who dropped Saifi off at a nearby petrol bunk, where he purchased four litres of petrol that were used in the attack. The driver contacted the investigation team after recognizing Saifi from a photograph released in the media.
However, Saifi has not been cooperating with the investigation and has yet to answer questions related to the help he received to plan and execute the crime. Despite being declared medically fit, he has been showing signs of illness during interrogation.
The investigation team is focusing on Shoranur and Pattambi, where they received major hints regarding the local support Saifi received. They inspected four houses at Karakodu colony in Ongallur, suspecting that Saifi may have met people there. The team is also suspicious about the food found in a tiffin box belonging to Saifi, which was left in the bag found on the Elathur track along with other crucial items used for the investigation.
Saifi arrived in Shoranur at 4:30 PM on April 2 and boarded the Kannur-Alappuzha Executive Express at 7:17 PM. He sprayed an inflammable liquid on the passengers and set them on fire when the train crossed Elathur railway station at around 9:15 PM. More than eight people were injured, and three died in the incident. Saifi was arrested in Maharashtra three days after the attack.