The National Investigation Agency on Thursday raided nine addresses in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh following the interrogation of Shahrukh Saifi, who is suspected of starting a fire onboard a train in Kerala which led to the death of three, including a toddler.
Saifi, a resident of Shaheen Bagh locality which shot to limelight in the winter of 2019-2020 for women-led protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, has allegedly said in his statement to the NIA that he was “instigated by people for this job”.
The raids are being carried out against people named by him, officials told News18.
Shahrukh Saifi was apprehended on April 3 from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
On the night of April 2, an unidentified man had set fire to passengers after pouring petrol on them when the train reached Korapuzha bridge near Elathur. Nine people suffered burn injuries.
The bodies of a woman, an infant, and a man, who had gone missing from the train after the fire, were found on tracks near Elathur railway station. Police believe they fell off the train or attempted to get down after seeing the fire.
According to police, the incident seemed to have been planned as the accused was carrying petrol in a bottle in his bag.
Saifi’s father Fakarrudin, a carpenter by profession, had earlier said his son had left home on March 31, saying he had some work in Nithari’s Sector 31 in Noida, but did not return. He lodged a missing person’s complaint at the Shaheen Bagh police station on April 2.
However, three days later, on April 5, a team of Kerala Police knocked on the door of Saifi’s house and told the family members about the train incident, leaving them in shock.
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