Kozhikode: Highly radicalised and a constant follower of videos of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik are allegations that the Kerala police have made against the Delhi native Shahrukh Saifi to invoke the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on him in connection with the recent Kozhikode train fire.
According to the Additional Director General of Police M R Ajith Kumar, who leads the special investigation team in Kozhikode, Saifi is a highly radicalized individual who regularly watches videos of Zakir Naik. Naik, who has been accused of spreading hatred and inciting young people, is a popular preacher.
Kumar stated that Saifi had come to Kerala with the intention of committing the crime and that the team has collected enough evidence to link him to the incident.
The 27-year-old, Saifi, 27, is a native of Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, who has been taken into custody in connection with the fire incident on board the Kannur-bound Executive Express train which led to the death of three persons and left eight others injured on April 2.
After the terror angle was revealed, Saifi was charged under section 16 of the UAPA, which pertains to acts of terror resulting in loss of life and carries a penalty of life imprisonment or the death sentence, said the ADGP.
The police chief stated that Saifi had a well-defined plan to commit the arson and that the investigation is ongoing to determine if he had received any assistance from locals. The police have obtained all information related to Saifi's journey from Delhi to Kozhikode and his subsequent movement to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra after committing the crime.
According to reports, on April 2, Shahrukh Saifi, a carpenter from Delhi, allegedly sprayed petrol on passengers of the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express and set them on fire in Elathur, Kozhikode.
Tragically, three passengers lost their lives after jumping off the train. While the motive behind the incident remains unknown, investigators have determined that Saifi arrived at Shornur town in Kerala from Delhi on the same day and spent the day at the railway station before boarding the train.
It is alleged that during this time, he filled several empty bottles with fuel from an outlet in Shornur.