A joint team of Central Intelligence and Maharashtra ATS nabbed Sharukh Saifi, the absconding accused in Kerala train fire case, from Ratnagiri Railway Station of Maharashtra on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Saifi is accused of setting on fire a co-passenger on Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express by pouring an inflammable liquid at around 9:45 pm on Sunday, April 2, when the train reached the Korapuzha railway bridge after crossing Kozhikode city.
While eight other passengers were injured in the process, three persons, including a one-year-old child and a woman, were found dead on the tracks hours later near the Elathur railway station in Kozhikode.
Saifi’s location was traced to Ratnagiri on Tuesday. News18 has learnt that Sharukh Saifi was at Ratnagiri civil hospital for treatment of head injuries that he received after falling off the train he had targeted in Kerala.
The accused, however, fled from the hospital without completing the treatment. Subsequently, extensive searches were conducted in Ratnagiri area and Sharukh Saifi was traced and detained.
He is currently under the custody of Railway Protection Force (RPF), Ratnagiri and his interrogation is yet to start. Kerala Police has also reached Ratnagiri.
A team of Kerala police also arrived in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh to conduct searches as sources said that “one of the addresses traced to Saifi is of the area in the national capital. “But there’s no clarity yet if he is the same Sharukh,” sources added.
Top intel sources told News18 that a diary and phone were recovered from the spot of the fire. Some eyewitnesses told police that the suspect was not South Indian.
On the basis of the diary, a few people named Saifi were nabbed from western Uttar Pradesh, including Moradabad and Bulandshahr. The phone recovered was without SIM and on the basis of IEME, it was traced to Shaheen Bagh, sources said.
When Kerala police contacted the family, they told that their son was missing and had registered a report on March 31. Following this, the agencies, with the help of the family, nabbed Sharukh Saifi, sources further said.
They added that six of Saifi’s phones were put on surveillance after meeting his family. “One of the phones got switched on around 1:30 am and Maharashtra ATS was informed about the location,” sources said.
After being alerted, the local police team immediately rushed to Ratnagiri hospital, where they were informed that a man with injuries had come but later ran away. The whole area was searched and Saifi was found at the station.
Sources said that the accused is “mentally fit” and told officers that “he was asked to set the Kerala train on fire”, but agencies are verifying his claims. They added that details will emerge after final questioning.
Ratnagiri Superintendent of Police is likely to address the media around 11 am. Saifi will be handed over to Kerala police after completing formalities. Kerala police would seek his transit remand from local magistrate and take him to the southern state.
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