Kerala Train Fire Incident: Railway Cops, NIA Carry on Search Ops in Noida, Ghaziabad to Nab Suspect

Two Railway Police officers have reached Noida and Ghaziabad in search of the suspect in Kozhikode train fire incident. The agencies are in search of him for the past few days and have made a sketch to identify the accused.

Sources, however, said that one person suspected to be prime accused, has been taken into custody. There’s information on confirmation yet from police.

According to sources, the suspect has addresses in both Noida and Haryana. Apart from Railway police, NIA and anti-terror squad is also investigating the case. The police have also prepared a sketch of the suspect involved in the incident.

The man was earlier identified as a native of Noida, sources said. A team of the NIA visited Kozhikode on Sunday and inquired about the train’s D1 compartment which was set on fire, ANI reported citing sources. However, the NIA has not taken over the case. NIA personnel visit places after any such incident which seem to have any terror link.

The accused, Shahrookh Saifi, allegedly set on fire a co-passenger on Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express by pouring an inflammable liquid at around 9:45 pm on Sunday when the train reached the Korapuzha railway bridge after crossing Kozhikode city. Eight other passengers were injured in the process.

Hours later, three persons, including a one-year-old child and a woman, were found dead on the tracks near the Elathur railway station in Kozhikode.

At around 9.45 pm, when the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train reached the Korapuzha railway bridge after crossing Kozhikode city, an unidentified man poured an inflammable liquid on a co-passenger and set him on a fire resulting in burn injuries to at least eight persons, police said.

A suspicious bag, believed to be the luggage of the accused, was also found later which cropped up terror angle speculation. The cops, however, have said it is not seeming to be an act of terror as of now.

On asked if there is any terror or extremist angle to the case, Kerala DGP Kerala Anil Kant said, “It is part of enquiry only after enquiry we will know.”

Kerala Police earlier released a sketch of the absconding accused.

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