Kerala train fire: the accused, Shahrukh Al-Saifi, has been transferred to pre-trial detention for 11 days

Thiruvananthapuram, April 7 (IANS) In a day of fast-paced developments, the prime suspect in the Kerala train fire case, which claimed three lives, on Friday was first sent to judicial custody for 14 days and after hours, was released in a local . court in Kozhikode, where the police investigation team was granted his detention for 11 days.

Shah Rukh Saifi, 24, has been accused of setting fire to a moving train and has been undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital since Thursday morning.

He was admitted to hospital after being taken into custody from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra as he had sustained injuries and had elevated bilirubin levels.

And after medical examinations revealed, on Thursday, that he was suspected of having jaundice, he was taken to the hospital, and on Friday morning, a local judge arrived at the hospital and decided to send Al-Saifi to judicial custody.

Shortly after the judge left, the medical committee met and after evaluating Saifi’s medical condition, decided that he could be discharged.

Then the police decided to come forward with a precautionary interrogation and transfer his papers, and in the evening they obtained his detention for 11 days. The court asked the police to appear before a medical team on Monday.

With Saifi finally in custody of the Kerala State Police Investigation Team, they expect to unravel the case and for that they will have to take him to collect evidence to a few places in Kozhikode, Kannur, and then to Ratnagiri where he was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad with the help of central agencies on Wednesday. .

Saifi was taken to Kozhikode and arrived at a police camp at around 5.45 am on Thursday.

It was Sunday night when Saifi, coming from Delhi, doused his companions with petrol and set them on fire while the train was traveling from Kozhikode to Kannur.

Three people, including a two-year-old girl, died after they panicked and jumped from the moving train. Nine others suffered burns.

Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is touring his home district of Kannur, visited the family of the two-year-old girl and then her aunt, who also passed away on Sunday, and handed over an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to both families.

– Jans

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