Kerala: Man Sets Passengers On Fire Inside Moving Train
3 Dead, 9 Injured After Man Sets Co-Passenger On Fire In Kerala Train.
Three people including a 2 year old boy, a woman & a man died and eight people sustained burn injuries after a man set his co-passenger on fire inside a moving train. The incident occurred inside the D1 compartment of Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express at around 9.45pm when the train was between Kozhikode and Kannur stretch. An unidentified man carrying two bottles, suspected to be containing inflammable material, entered a reserved coach. He poured the liquid on a co-passenger and set him on a fire resulting in burn injuries to at least eight persons. A few panic-stricken passengers ran to other compartments. In the meantime, someone pulled the chain and the train stopped. The injured were rushed to the hospital, however, the accused escaped when the train stopped. The police have obtained CCTV footage showing the suspect alighting from the coach and fleeing the scene on a bike provided by an unidentified person. When the train reached Kannur, a few passengers said that a woman and a child were missing after the incident. One of the passengers said, "A man, who was injured, kept looking for a woman and a child. We found footwear and a mobile phone of that woman,"
Soon after the news of the missing persons came out, the police inspected the tracks and found three bodies, including the woman and the child and a mid-aged man.
Police suspect they fell off the train or attempted to deboard after seeing the fire. Sources said the woman was the child's aunt. The eye witness on the train also told the police that the man was wearing a red shirt, a cap and black pants. With the help of a witness, the police was able to form a sketch of the suspect. It will be circulated around which will help them get leads. The locals informed the police that a bike arrived near the railway track seconds after the man got off the train. Meanwhile, the police found a bag suspected to have belonged to the assailant. The bag contained a bottle of petrol, mobile, a charger, a notebook, phone and eyeglass. The diary contains names of various places, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kanyakumari and others. The police also found that some messages had been recently deleted from the phone and will attempt to recover them.
Meanwhile, some passengers reported that the suspect had burn injuries on his leg, but the police were unable to locate anyone fitting the suspect’s description who had sought treatment at nearby hospitals or clinics. One of the burn victims is critical. Meanwhile the police have not ruled out the possibility of terrorist or Maoist involvement. The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) along with the police has launched a probe to investigate the matter.
