Kozhikode: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has unearthed more leads in the Kozhikode train arson case that further establishes conspiracy and detailed planning behind the horrific crime.

Shahrukh Saifi, the lone accused in the case so far, had booked a ticket to Kozhikode from New Delhi. He, however, de-boarded the train at Shoranur, which the cops infer as a deliberate attempt to mislead the investigators in case of a probe.

The investigation team suspects that the accused must have received local assistance at Shoranur. The attempt to cover up the journey to Shoranur has lent credence to their suspicion. Having obtained all details of the train ticket booked by him, the team now believes that the suspect departed from Delhi with a clear intention of carrying out the strike at Kozhikode.

Driver's statement

The police came to know about Shahrukh boarding the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express, on which the attack had taken place, from the statement of an autorickshaw driver. The person identified Shahrukh, who had travelled in his vehicle to buy petrol from Shoranur, from the photo published by the media and contacted the police via one of his friends.

During interrogation, the suspect maintained that he did not know the name of the station where he initially disembarked.

Shahrukh, who left Delhi on board the Kerala Sambark Kranthi Express on March 31, de-boarded the train at Shoranur at 4.49 am on April 2. Instead of hiring an autorickshaw from the stand right in front of the railway station, he called one from the stand at Shoranur-Paruthipra Road, located some 500 meters away. Though he had been brought back to the same location after buying petrol, the suspect asked the autorickshaw driver to drop him at the railway station.

He boarded the Executive Express at 7.19 later in the evening. The investigation team, however, is yet to receive information on what Shahrukh was doing at Shoranur throughout the day.

This comes even as the police suspect that an aide helped Shahrukh in executing the crime and accompanied him on the train from Shoranur. This person is suspected to have pulled the emergency chain after the fire. Also, the accused might have received help in escaping from Kannur soon after the attack, sources said.

The crime

On the night of April 2, an unidentified man barged into the D-1 compartment of the Executive Express around 9.17 pm, carrying petrol in a bottle in a bag. 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, seeing the fire. The accused absconded from the spot and was later arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad from Ratnagiri on Tuesday night.