KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in Kochi on Friday granted the custody of Shahrukh Saifi, the sole accused in the Elathur train arson case, to the NIA.
The court decided to send him into NIA custody from May 2 to 8. Until then the court remanded him to the high-security prison at Viyyur in Thrissur, where he was lodged since the expiry of his 11-day custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police.
Saifi was produced in the court on Friday evening after the Central agency sought his custody stating that his custodial interrogation was inevitable to ascertain the motive of the terrorist activity.
The agency in its custody application said the investigation so far revealed that the accused had purchased petrol in a 2-litre plastic bottle from a fuel outlet near Shoranur railway station on April 2. He also purchased a cigarette lighter with the intention to ignite a fire on the train. The agency said that all the evidence collected so far pointed towards a terror act.
The agency has taken over the investigation of the case following a notification from the ministry of home affairs. On April 19, the agency re-registered the police first information report in the NIA Special Court – I in Kochi retaining all offences invoked by the police including murder, murder attempt and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The 24-year-old Delhi-native set the passengers on the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express after pouring an inflammable liquid on them when the train reached Elathur in Kozhikode on April 2. Three people who jumped off the train to escape the fire died and nine other sustained burns.
