Kozhikode Train Arson Case: Father Of Witness Found Dead At Hotel Room In Kochi

Police said the deceased Mohammed Shafik and his son Monas reached Kerala on May 16 for giving a statement in connection with the train arson incident.

Monas is reportedly a friend of the accused Shahrukh Saifi (Image for representation/Pixabay)

The father of a witness in the recent Kerala train arson case was found dead in a hotel room in Kochi on Friday. The police identified the 45-year-old as Mohammed Shafik from Delhi. 

According to PTI, police said Mohammed Shafik and his son Monas reached Kerala on May 16 for giving a statement in connection with the train arson incident that resulted in the death of three persons at Kozhikode in April.

A senior police official told PTI, "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." 

The police recovered and sent the body for post-mortem. The Ernakulam South police registered a case of unnatural death of IPC.

Further investigations are on. 

The police said the witness was summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as part of its probe. The witness earlier appeared before the investigating agency on May 17 and 18. Monas is reportedly a friend of the accused Shahrukh Saifi.

Train arson case

On April 2, three persons including a baby died while trying to escape from a fire caused by one Shahrukh Saifi in a compartment of a moving train in Kozhikode district. The accused Shahrukh Saifi had set his co-passengers on fire in Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train while it reached Korapuzha bridge near Elathur in Kozhikode.

Three people who jumped out of the compartment to save their lives died while nine others suffered burn injuries in the incident. 

The police registered a case under various sections of Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Railway Act and Explosive Substance Act. Recently, the case was taken over by the NIA's Kochi unit for investigation.