Description
The incident occurred near Elathur in the Kozhikode district. (Representative) A joint team of central intelligence and counter-terrorism officers arrested a suspect on Wednesday in connection with a train fire that killed three people and injured several more in Kerala on Sunday night, authorities said. The suspect, identified as Shahrukh, was arrested in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, around 1,000 kilometers in the north of Kerala after a sketch of the light was released by the Kerala police on the base of the record. a witness.
"A Kerala police team has also arrived in Ratnagiri and the accused will soon be handed over to them," said an official from the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The motive for the attack is still unclear, but the official said the suspect confessed to setting a passenger on fire after an argument aboard the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train near Elathur in Kozhikode district.
The suspect had poured gasoline on a passenger and set it on fire inside the D1 compartment of the train at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, causing the passengers to panic and triggering a stampede. The fire quickly spread to other seats and luggage, engulfing the coach in flames.
Three people died on the spot and several more were burned. Five of them were admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College and three to a nearby private hospital. At least three of the injured were women.
The train stopped at Elathur station and railway staff and local residents extinguished the fire. The carriage in question was separated from the rest of the train and taken to Kannur station for further investigation.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which investigates terrorism-related cases in India, inspected train carriages at Kannur station on Tuesday and collected forensic evidence. The NIA also interviewed some of the passengers and railway staff who were present at the time of the incident.
Kerala Police had formed a special team to investigate the case and announced a reward of Rs 2 lakhs for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Police also released a sketch of the suspect based on the description given by Razak, a crucial witness who escaped with minor injuries.
The sketch showed a man with a beard and a cap, dressed in a dark-colored shirt and pants. Police had asked the public to share any information about his whereabouts or whereabouts.
