Kozhikode: Shahrukh Saifi, accused in the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express arson case, planned to light fire in two coaches of the train, alleged the investigation team. It has also been revealed that the accused received help executing the crime.
The investigation is progressing in Shornur, where Shahrukh spent a whole day after his arrival in Kerala.
He reached Shoranur railway station at 4.49 am on April 2. He bought four litres of petrol in three bottles from a fuel pump located just a km away from the railway station.
The Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express, in which the attack was carried out, arrived at the station at 7 pm on the same day. The train left the station at 7:19 pm.
The cops are investigating what he did and where he went the whole day. They have collected the CCTV footage from the railway station and the petrol pump.
Meanwhile, Shahrukh has denied any involvement in the deaths of three passengers.
The accused said he did not push anyone from the train and that they must have fallen off it. Police had charged Shahrukh with murder in the case after finding he had a hand in the deaths of the three passengers.
On the night of April 2, the accused barged into the D1 compartment of the Executive Express around 9.17 pm, carrying petrol in a bottle. He poured the fuel on the passengers without any provocation and lit the fire when the train reached Korapuzha bridge near Elathur.
Nine people suffered burn injuries, while the bodies of a woman, an infant, and a man were recovered later from the tracks near Elathur. Police believe they fell off the train or jumped off it after seeing the fire. The accused absconded from the spot and was later arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in Ratnagiri on Tuesday.
