Hours after a man reportedly set a fellow passenger on fire and injured eight other passengers aboard an express train, three people, including a lady and a two-year-old child, were discovered dead on the tracks close to the Elathur railway station. The accused was identified as Shahrook Saifi, a resident of Noida.
The bodies of a woman, a child, and a man were found on the tracks late on Sunday night, according to a senior police official from the area who spoke to PTI.
After the conflagration, three were reported missing from the train, the officer added.
When the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train arrived at the Korapuzha railway bridge here at around 9.45 p.m. after crossing Kozhikode city, an unidentified man to pour an ignitable liquid on a fellow passenger and set him on fire, causing at least eight people to sustain burn injuries, according to police.
Kerala Police has released a sketch of the absconding accused. Police said CCTV visuals are also being scanned.
The injured were taken to hospitals when passengers pulled the emergency chain as the man quickly fled the scene.
A few passengers complained that a woman and a child were missing following the event when the train arrived at Kannur.
“As per the preliminary information, the person who allegedly caused the fire escaped after the incident. Three persons with burn injuries have been shifted to hospital by the RPF and after necessary inspection, the train continued its journey,” a senior Railway official told PTI.
“Despite being hurt, a man continued to search for a woman and a young child. We located the woman’s shoes and mobile ” one passenger at Kannur revealed to the media.
The city police checked the tracks shortly after hearing about the missing people and discovered three bodies, including the woman, the child, and a middle-aged guy. When they saw the fire, according to the police, they either fell from the train or attempted to get off.
“On the rails, the bodies of the woman and the kid who went missing were discovered. There is one male body whose identity is unknown. Surveillance images of the suspect have been discovered. the investigation is ongoing,” according to a district’s top police official. The woman, according to sources, was the child’s aunt.
“An investigation will determine whether there is a terrorist or extremist angle,” according to State Police Chief DGP Anil Kant, who also announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team.
The Kozhikode Medical College is one of the hospitals where a total of nine people have been admitted for treatment.