The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and Ratnagiri police, in coordination with central intelligence agencies, detained the Kerala train arson accused from Ratnagiri railway station late Tuesday night. Officers identified him as 27-year-old Shahrukh Saifi, a resident of Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh and a carpenter by profession. He was found sleeping at the station, from where he possibly meant to head home, and was picked up around 11.30 pm, officers said.
A senior Maharashtra ATS officer said he has been handed over to a Kerala police team. “We detained him based on inputs provided by a central intelligence agency,” said the officer.
“The accused has admitted to having committed the Kerala fire incident,” the ATS stated in a note released on Wednesday.
According to investigators, Saifi suffered injuries in the train fire and took treatment at Ratnagiri civic hospital.
According to ATS sources, brief questioning revealed that following the incident, Saifi allegedly travelled from Kerala to Maharashtra in a Kerala-Ajmer train. “He got off at Kalambani railway station in Ratnagiri, went to the village area and, with the help of locals, reached the local PHC (public health centre). Doctors there referred him to the district hospital, Ratnagiri, where he was admitted for treatment. After primary treatment, he allegedly escaped from the hospital on Tuesday, fearing he would be nabbed,” an ATS officer said.
Sources said Saifi told investigators that he jumped from the moving train at the railway station in Khed, thinking the police were on his trail.
“He was behaving rudely with the doctors. Doctors administered injections to keep him calm,” said an officer from the Ratnagiri police. “Since he had suffered head injuries, doctors had sent him for a CT scan, but he escaped. At the railway station, he had covered his face with newspaper.”
Officers in Kerala, meanwhile, said the motive will become clearer after sustained questioning. A PAN card, an Aadhaar card, a mobile phone and an ATM card have been recovered from his possession.
On Sunday night, an unidentified man had entered a Kannur-bound train, sprayed an inflammable liquid on passengers and set them on fire, leaving three people, who tried to escape by jumping off the train, dead. While the accused managed to escape, police had recovered a bag, a few writings in Hindi and a phone.
The probe had initially led investigators to another Shahrukh Saifi — also a carpenter. A resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr, he was picked up by the UP ATS on Monday night. However, his questioning revealed this was a false lead, and he was let off the following morning.
At the Shaheen Bagh home of the Shahrukh Saifi who has now been arrested, the family was in disbelief. They told The Indian Express that he left home on March 31, and that on Tuesday and Wednesday, police teams had paid them a visit.
A Delhi Police officer, meanwhile, said: “His father was questioned. He said his son left home saying he was going to work, but didn’t return. The family tried calling him but his phone was switched off. They lodged a missing person report on April 2. His parents said they don’t know anything about the case.”
His father Fakruddin (46), who runs a small shop, told The Indian Express: “There’s no way he reached Kerala and killed people; our son would never do that. He left home to find work, he just wished to support the family. He had limited friends and is an introvert. He has no criminal record; how could he set the train on fire?”
“The police came on Tuesday and Wednesday. They showed us Shahrukh’s photos, his clothes and a few belongings. I confirmed those were his,” he said.
Shahrukh is the eldest of three brothers and has studied till class 12 at Noida and Delhi schools. His family has been living in Shaheen Bagh for almost two decades, and hails from UP’s Baghpat. The family claims he has never been part of any organisation or political party.
Sources in the Delhi Police said his books, clothes and other belongings have been seized. His grandmother Akhtari claimed police had also picked up her two other grandsons for questioning.
Shahrukh Saifi, 30, a carpenter, was found sleeping at the Ratnagiri Railway Station at around 11.30 pm on Tuesday (Source: Maharashtra ATS) 
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