The father of a witness in the Kerala train arson case was found dead in a hotel room in Delhi on May 19, police officials said.
The Delhi resident, identified as Mohammed Shafik (45), was found hanging in his hotel room three days after he arrived in Delhi to file his statement in the case with his son.
As informed by the police officials, the deceased and his son gave a statement to the police in connection with the train arson incident that happened in Kozhikode in April.
The father-son duo had arrived in the state on May 16.
A senior police official told media that, “He (Shafik) and his son reached the state to record their statement in the case. The statement recording was complete and they were planning to go back to Delhi. But his son saw him hanging inside the bathroom.”
It is to be noted that, the witness had appeared before the court a day after their arrival, on May 17 and 18 and was summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as part of its probe in the Kerala train arson case. The case was recently taken over by NIA’s Kochi unit.
The train arson attack in Kozhikode district killed three people, including a baby, on April 2. The case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Railway Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
Accused Shahrukh Saifi had set his co-passengers on fire onboard the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train when it reached Korapuzha bridge near Elathur in Kozhikode.
Nine people had suffered burn injuries in the incident while three, including the toddler, were found dead on the tracks.
