NIA files chargesheet against self-radicalised accused in Kozhikode train arson case

According to an official release, the accused, identified as Sharukh alias Sharukh Saifi (27), has been charged under various sections of IPC, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UA(P)A), Railways Act, and Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.

He is accused of committing the terror act by setting the D1 Coach of Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express on fire on April 2, 2023.

The NIA Chargesheet said, "Saifi, the sole accused in the gory case, had thrown and sprinkled petrol on the passengers and set the bogey on fire with a lighter with the intention to kill people."

"A resident of Shaheenbagh, New Delhi, Saifi had boarded the moving Alappuzha- Kannur Executive Express, committed the terror act, and continued to travel in the same train till Kannur, before escaping to Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, from where he was eventually arrested," added the NIA chargesheet.

According to the investigations carried out by NIA, the accused travelled to Kerala from New Delhi on March 31, 2023, and reached the state on April 2. He purchased petrol from a Petrol bunk in Shoranur and a lighter from a nearby store at Shoranur Railway Station.

NIA investigations show that Saifi had chosen Kerala for the act involving terror and arson as he wanted to commit his Jihadi act in a location where he would not be recognized. He had intended to return to normal life after the commission of the act, aimed at creating terror in the minds of the general public.

The case was initially registered at Kozhikode Railway Police Station, Kerala, and later by Special Investigation Team, Kerala.

On April, 17, the NIA took over the investigations of the case on orders from MHA.

During the course of its investigations, NIA conducted searches in 10 locations in Delhi and seized digital devices. Several witnesses were questioned and CCTV footage from the Railway Station was also seized, the release added. (ANI)