The incident took place near Elathur in Kozhikode district.
Mumbai:
A joint team of central intelligence and counter-terrorism officials arrested a suspect in connection with the fire that broke out on a train in Kerala on Sunday night, killing three people and injuring several others, officials said.
The suspect, identified as Shahrukh, was caught in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, about 1,000 km north of Kerala, after Kerala police circulated a sketch of him based on a witness statement.
“A team of Kerala Police has also reached Ratnagiri and the accused will be handed over to them soon,” said an officer of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, on the condition of anonymity.
The motive behind the attack was not yet clear, but the official said the suspect had confessed to setting a passenger on the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train on fire near Elathur in Kozhikode district.
The suspect sprinkled petrol on a passenger in the D1 coach of the train and set it on fire at around 9.30 pm on Sunday, causing panic and a stampede among the passengers. The fire quickly spread to other seats and luggage, leaving the coach engulfed in flames.
Three people died on the spot, while many others suffered burn injuries. Five of them were admitted to Kozhikode Medical College and three to a private hospital nearby. At least three of the injured are women.
The train was stopped at Alathur station and the fire was brought under control by railway staff and local residents. The affected coach was separated from the rest of the train and taken to Kannur station for further investigation.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which probes terrorism-related cases in India, on Tuesday inspected train coaches at Kannur station and collected forensic evidence. The NIA also questioned some passengers and railway staff present at the time of the incident.
The Kerala Police had formed a special team to investigate the matter and announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect. The police had also released a sketch of the suspect based on the description given by Razak, a key witness, who had sustained minor injuries.
The sketch shows a man with a beard and cap, wearing a dark shirt and trousers. Police had appealed to the public to share any information about his whereabouts or activities.