Kerala train fire: Probe leads police to UP’s Bulandshahr, carpenter questioned and let go

Kerala police coordinated with their counterparts in UP, and the recovered items led the ATS to the home of 30-year-old carpenter Shahrukh Saifi.

An officer said, “The recovered phone led investigators to his address and teams were sent there. The man was taken for questioning on Monday night but it appears to have been a false lead. He was released the following morning.”

The Indian Express spoke to Saifi and his family over the phone. His father, Yameen, said his son has never travelled beyond Delhi. “My son is not involved in any terror activity. He lives with us and has never done any such thing. Police know it as well,” said Yameen.

Saifi said, “I was working when police teams came to pick me up. It was around 5 pm. They questioned me for hours… about my SIM card, my work, travel, etc. I told them the truth. I also asked them about the case but they didn’t reveal anything. They told me to answer their questions. I told them I have never been anywhere except UP and Delhi. I recently bought a phone and took a SIM card with the help of a cousin. They checked my phone and released me in the morning.”

Saifi returned to Bulandshahr around two months ago, after working as a carpenter in Noida and Ghaziabad for past few years.

Former corporator Rahees Safi, who accompanied Saifi’s family to the ATS office to pick him up, said: “He was questioned about where he had travelled to in the last few months. ATS officials also showed him a sketch, which he could not identify,” said Safi. He said the police also checked Saifi’s phone.

Soon after his release, police teams conducted searches in Noida and Ghaziabad, but have not found any concrete leads so far. Officials also said the National Investigation Agency has been involved since a terror angle has not been ruled out.

In Kozhikode, ADGP M R Ajith Kumar, who is heading a special investigation team, said the investigation is at a preliminary stage.