Mystery surrounding fire in train in Kannur; train in Elathur incident burnt

KANNUR: Police have intensified the investigation into the incident in which the Kannur-Alappuzha Executive Express coach was set on fire on Wednesday night. It must be noted that this was the same train that was set on fire by Delhi native Shahrukh Saifi two months ago. The police are suspecting sabotage in the incident. The NIA, which is investigating the Elathur case, is also moving in that direction. The incident took place on Wednesday night after one o'clock.

The NIA team inspected the spot and collected information from the police. RAW, ATS and IB officials also conducted inspections. The train was set on fire while it was stationed at the Kannur station yard after the journey. One bogie was completely destroyed in the fire.

Police have taken a Bengal native into custody and are continuing to interrogate him. Although he is showing signs of mental illness, police have not believed him. An officer of the nearby BPCL confirmed that this man was earlier detained for burning garbage near the train. However, he was soon released after he showed signs of mental illness. Witnesses said that they have seen him in the area regularly. Police have obtained CCTV visuals from BPCL which show a person walking towards the train at around 1 o'clock in the night. This visual helped the police to nab the Bengal native.

Forensic experts and the dog squad have inspected the bogie. They have obtained hints to show that the assailant got inside the train. The window glass of the toilet was broken. A stone was also found in the closet. A preliminary forensic examination did not reveal any fuel residue in the bogie. The sample will be tested.

Fire was first seen by porter
The 17th general coach of the 19-coach train was set on fire. It was porter George who informed the railway staff after he saw smoke rising from the train around 1 am. Three units of fire force arrived and extinguished the fire after working for more than an hour after the station superintendent A. Manoj informed the fire station. The other coaches were separated to prevent the fire from spreading. The train was moved to the yard after it ended its service at Kannur from Alappuzha at 11.30 pm. The staff had locked the doors securely after cleaning.