NIA likely to take over probe into 3 being set afire inside Kerala train

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to officially take over the probe into the Kerala train fire incident, which left three people, including a child dead last Sunday, officials privy to the matter said on Sunday.

On April 2 accused Shahrukh Saifi, 27, who was arrested on Wednesday from Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district and brought to the state two days back, had allegedly sprinkled petrol on his co-passengers and set them on fire after Alapuzha- Kannur Inter-City Express train left Kozhikode station around 9.30 pm, a senior official said, requesting anonymity.

Nine other people had sustained fire injuries during the incident. After the incident, there was a commotion and some passengers, including the accused allegedly jumped from the running train, said police.

The accused, who is a resident of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, has confessed to his crime, said the police. Kerala Police on Friday had invoked murder charges against Saifi, a senior police officer said.

The senior official quoted above said that it was a clear case of terror but why did he (Saifi) select Kerala and his motives are still unclear.

“The NIA officials camping in Kozhikode have submitted a detailed report to the Union home ministry. It is a clear case of terror involving many states. We will invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) soon. We are sure he was sent to the state by his handlers and he got enough local help also,” said another official close to the NIA. He said there was “enough planning” and “conspiracy behind the crime” and it was “not a single-man mission” as confessed by the accused.

The special investigation team (SIT) of Kerala Police probing the case has also identified the petrol pump in Shornor area of Palakkad city from where he bought four litres of petrol in two bottles.

The accused had allegedly told the SIT that he came to Shornur by Delhi-Ernakulam Sampark Kranti Express on April 2 morning.

Talking about the probe, an official from SIT said how did Saifi spent more than 12 hours in Shornur, an important railway junction in the state, and from where did he get freshly- cooked food that was found in his abandoned bag need more investigation. “He is trying hard to shield his possible handlers,” said the SIT official, on anonymity.

Saifi also denied any role in the death of the three people whose bodies were recovered from the tracks after the fire incident though it is not clear if they were pushed out of the speeding train or they jumped off after the commotion over fire, the SIT officials said.

According to the CCTV visuals recovered from the petrol pump, he came in an auto-rickshaw to procure the petrol, said the police, adding, the auto-rickshaw driver was let off after questioning.

The SIT also found that though there was a petrol pump near the railway station, however, Saifi visited the pump which was 1km away from the station “to avoid any suspicion.”

The SIT said it was not possible for an outsider to scan the area like this and he may have got local help in executing the crime. According to the SIT, the last number he called was not responding and the address on which the number was registered was “quite dubious.” Similarly his bank account details also point to a larger conspiracy, the SIT said. A team of the SIT is still camping in Delhi.

During the questioning, Saifi reportedly told the SIT that he jumped off from the moving train after the incident. He had kept the bag near the door planning to come back for it but due to the commotion it fell down and later became a “breakthrough” leading to his arrest, said the SIT.

His escape from the spot and later boarding another train from Kannur while dodging police will have to be probed, said the SIT official, adding, the investigating agency is probing the possibility of some handlers monitoring his movements.

Meanwhile the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised the state’s delay in handing over the case to the NIA. “People can make out easily it is a case of terror that needs investigation in many states. We have no idea why the state is delaying to handover the case to central agencies,” said party state president K Surendran.