'Got clues on train fire accused,' says Kerala Police chief; flaws in rail safety exposed

Kerala police chief Anil Kant said that clues regarding the accused in the train fire incident at Kozhikode on Sunday night were received and efforts to nab him were progressing.

"All angles are being probed. Extremist angles could be confirmed only after probe. A special investigation team under IG North zone would be formed," said Kant who was proceeding to the spot on Monday.

Kerala ports minister Ahammed Devarkovil, who is a MLA from Kozhikode, said that the accused was suspected to be a 25 year old youth.

Also Read: Two-year-old among three dead as man sets co-passengers ablaze in moving train in Kerala

Police released the CCTV footage of a suspect. Efforts to prepare a sketch of the accused with the help of train passengers was on.

Central agencies including the NIA were also looking into the incident.

Police sources said that the suspected modus operandi involved and materials recovered from a bag found on the rail track were leading to suspicions that it was a planned attack by a non-Malayali.

The bag contained a bottle with petrol, mobile phone, a notebook in which notes were written in English and Hindi, some dress and eatables.

Since the bag contained petrol, it was strongly suspected to be that of the accused.

As the notes were written in English and Hindi, it was suspected that the accused is a non-Malayali. The notes seemed to be about carpentry works.

The chances of leaving the bag to mislead the investigation could not be also ruled out, said a police source.

The police received CCTV footage of a youth waiting on the roadside near the spot where the train was stopped. The youth could be seen talking on mobile phone and a person came in a two-wheeler to collect him. As per the train passengers the accused was wearing a red dress.The youth seen in the CCTV footage was also wearing a red dress.

It was by around 9.30 pm on Sunday that a youth randomly poured two bottles of inflammable liquid in D1 coach of the Alappuzha - Kannur executive express (Train no. 16307) and set fire. The mishap took place after the train left Kozhikode and reached Elathur, around 10 kilometres from Kozhikode city.

The three deceased were identified as Kannur natives Rahmath her niece two year old Sahra and another person identified as Naufeek. They were suspected to have jumped out of the moving train frantically.

Among the nine who suffered burns, two were shifted to intensive care. All were said to be out of danger.

Since it was a Sunday the number of passengers were very low in the train and hence a major tragedy could be averted.

The incident also exposed flaws in rail safety. Even as carrying inflammable substances in trains are prohibited the accused managed to enter train with highly inflammable liquid. He also entered the reservation coach even as preliminary verification of railway authorities found that the accused was not having a reserved train ticket.