Kerala train fire incident: Police nab suspect from Maharashtra

The suspect had poured petrol on a passenger and set a fire inside the D1 compartment of the Alappuzha-Kannur Main Executive Express train near Elathur in Kozhikode district.
Police examining the materials recovered from a bag, suspected to be that of the assailant, found on the railway track near Elathur in Kozhikode. (Photo| E Gokul)
Police examining the materials recovered from a bag, suspected to be that of the assailant, found on the railway track near Elathur in Kozhikode. (Photo| E Gokul)

KOZHIKODE: Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad arrested Shahrukh Saifi, the accused in the Elathur train arson attack case from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. The accused was caught on Tuesday night while trying to escape after visiting a hospital.

The ATS officials reached the location in search of Saifi based on a tip-off that he sought treatment at a hospital in Ratnagiri with injuries.

State Police Chief Anil Kant said the suspect was arrested through a combined effort of the Special Investigation Team, central agencies and the Maharashtra police. He said the suspect will be brought to the state soon and he was in touch with his Maharashtra counterpart.

Anil added that the details of the case such as the motive behind the attack will be revealed during a detailed interrogation.

The special investigation team from Kozhikode went to Kannur planning to nab the accused. He will be brought to Elathur, Kozhikode after completing evidence collection procedures in Kannur. 

The D1 and D2 compartments of Alappuzha - Kannur Executive Express, where the assailant poured petrol on passengers and set fire on Sunday night at Elathur, are now parked in Kannur railway station yard. Three people were killed and eight others were injured in the attack.

The special investigation team of Kerala police and Railway police had released the sketch of the arsonist on Monday based on the clues received from the witnesses. They primarily concluded that the assailant, Shahrukh Saifi is from Uttar Pradesh's Noida after examining the bag and items suspected which belonged to the accused. 

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Four among the injured are undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital and four others are admitted to a private hospital here. Two among the victims are in serious condition. 

The three killed in the incident were  Rahmath M (45) of Palottupalli, Mattannur in Kannur, her niece Sahara (2) and Noufeek (42) of Mattannur. Rahmath and Sahara were accompanied by Razik who suffered injuries in the attack.

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