The Kerala Police have invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against the person accused in the case of a train fire in Kozhikode that killed three persons and left eight with burn injuries earlier this month, The Hindu reported on Monday.
Shahrukh Saifi, a resident of Delhi, was arrested on April 4 for allegedly setting fire to coach number D1 of the Alappuzha-Kannur Express by spraying an inflammable liquid on April 2. Saifi was arrested in Ratnagiri city of Maharashtra on April 5 and is currently in police custody.
Kozhikode city Police Commissioner Rajpal Meena said on Sunday that Saifi has been booked under Section 16 of the UAPA that deals with acts of terror that lead to loss of life are punishable with death or imprisonment for life, The Indian Express reported.
Earlier, the police had booked Saifi under Sections 302 (murder), 326A (causing grievous hurt by use of acid etc), 436 (mischief by fire and explosive substances), 438 (attempt to commit mischief by fire or explosives) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 151 (damaging railway property) of the Indian Railways Act.
On Sunday, the charges under the UAPA were added after a Special Investigation Team of the Kerala Police submitted a report before a court saying that there was a terrorism angle involved in the arson.
The police have not yet given a statement on what was Saifi’s motive behind the alleged crime. They are investigating his social media activities and call records to find his links in Noida in Uttar Pradesh where he worked as a carpenter and Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi where he lived, The Hindu reported.
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