In a strange and tragic event, an unidentified individual splashed an inflammable substance to his co-passenger on a moving train. The shocking incident happened in Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express on Sunday night while it was crossing the Elathur Korapuzha bridge in Kozhikode at around 9:30 pm. The tragic incident killed three people and injured several others.

Kozhikode City Police Commissioner Rajpal Meena stated that a man was responsible for splashing petrol and igniting the fire. At least three of the injured individuals were women, with three people taken to a private hospital and five to Kozhikode medical college. One of the survivors revealed that the unknown perpetrator splashed an inflammable substance, suspected to be petrol or kerosene, which suddenly caught fire. Witnesses stated that the train stopped when it reached Elathur bridge, and passengers fled in panic from one of the compartments as the fire spread. After someone pulled the emergency chain to stop the train, the suspect is said to have fled. A search is currently underway to locate the attacker.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the police have received crucial CCTV footage of a youth suspected of setting fire. The footage, obtained from a CCTV camera installed in front of a mosque near the railway track in Elathur, shows the suspect wearing a red and black checked shirt and black pants, making a phone call before escaping on a bike that arrived to pick him up. He was also seen carrying a bag. A survivor who was sitting opposite to the accused, is currently working with the police to create a sketch of the suspect.

DGP Anil Kant has said that the railway police have filed five charges against the suspect and a special team will be formed to investigate the case.