Shillong, April 5: The main accused in the Kerala train fire incident, which resulted in three deaths and nearly eight injuries, was held in a joint operation by Maharashtra Police and central intelligence agencies.
Accused Shahrukh Saifi was apprehended in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri Railway Station on the night of April 4.
After setting a fellow passenger on fire on the Alapuzha-Kannur Express train in Kozhikode, the Shahrukh fled the scene. His whereabouts were discovered in Ratnagiri on Tuesday.
He was receiving treatment at Ratnagiri civil hospital for head injuries he sustained when he fell while attempting to escape the train. He didn’t receive the whole course of treatment, though, and left the hospital. He is currently in RPF Ratnagiri’s custody.
At least eight people sustained burn injuries as a result of an unidentified man setting fire to a fellow passenger on Sunday, April 2, at around 9.45 pm as the Alapuzha-Kannur Express train crossed Kozhikode city.
Following the event, three people, including a woman and a 1-year-old infant, were reported missing from the train. Later that evening, they were found dead on the tracks close to the Elathur train station. When they saw the fire, according to the police, they either slid from the train or made an attempt to exit.
To investigate the incident, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was created. The accused was charged with murder, and a manhunt was started. Anil Kant, the DGP of Kerala, asserted that the case might have a terror link.
Senior investigators from several organisations, including the NIA (National Investigative Agency) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF), examined the Alappuzha-Kannur Express train’s carriages two days after the tragedy shook the state.