The man suspected of starting a fire onboard a train in Kerala which led to the death of three, including a toddler, was brought to the southern state by road on Thursday morning after being caught in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra on the previous day.
Presently he is being examined by a team of doctors at the Kozhikode Medical College, Kerala Police Chief Anil Kant told reporters.
What does the police say?
Kerala Police Chief Anil Kant said doctors from all disciplines, including orthopedics and general medicine, and forensics are examining him.
"We have not started questioning him. We will begin questioning him once he is cleared for it by the medical team," he said.
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Kant also said which provisions of law, including UAPA, should be invoked against the suspect -- Shahrukh Saifi -- and whether there were others behind the fire incident, would be decided after he was questioned.
"We are happy that we were able to trace him well in time. It was due to a combined effort by the SIT, central intelligence agencies and Maharashtra police," he said.
Regarding the persons injured in the arson attack on April 2 night, the State Police Chief said that one of them had 35-40 per cent burns while the rest were stable.
Security beefed up during on-road journey
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Saifi was taken to the medical college for examination in a four-vehicle convoy which included a bus full of police commandos.
At the hospital too, tight security arrangements were in place to avoid any member of the public or the press coming close to the suspect, according to visuals shown on TV channels.
The on-road journey of Saifi to Kozhikode from Ratnagiri witnessed some dramatic events early Thursday morning.
After entering Kerala by road in the wee hours, as the police SUV carrying Saifi in the rear seat was passing through Kannur district it one of its tyres burst and the vehicle could not be used.
Subsequently, after waiting on the roadside for more than an hour, a substitute vehicle arranged by the Edakkad police in Kannur district for onward journey did not start, delaying the journey further.
Another vehicle had to be arranged before the police team and the suspect could proceed to Kozhikode.
Kerala train fire incident
On the night of April 2, an unidentified man had set fire to passengers after pouring petrol on them when the train reached Korapuzha bridge near Elathur. Nine people suffered burn injuries and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
The bodies of a woman, an infant, and a man, who went missing from the train after the fire, were recovered from the tracks near Elathur railway station. Police believe they fell off the train or attempted to get down after seeing the fire.
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According to police, the incident was probably pre-planned as he was carrying petrol in a bottle in his bag.
Subsequent to the tragic incident on April 2, the Kerala Police had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to identify and apprehend the assailant.
After a sketch of the assailant was released by Kerala Police based on the statements of passengers who witnessed the incident, the suspect was caught from Ratnagiri by Maharashtra ATS.
(With PTI Inputs)
