Muhammed Shafeeq was found dead hanging from a pipeline in the bathroom of the hotel near the NIA's office in Kochi on Friday morning.
Police officials inspecting the railway tracks after the train arson incident in Elathur. (File/Screengrab)
A day after the Kerala government suspended a senior IPS officer who probed the 2 April Elanthur train arson case, the father of a Delhi youth summoned for questioning was found hanging in a Kochi hotel on Friday, 19 May.
Identifying the deceased as Muhammed Shafeeq, 46, of Shaheen Bagh in South Delhi, the police said he had accompanied his son, Muhammed Monis to Kochi.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned Monis, a classmate of prime accused Shahrukh Saifi, to Kochi for interrogation in the arson case.
The police said the father-son duo had checked into a hotel on KP Vallon Road at Kadavanthra near the NIA’s office at Giri Nagar. Shafeeq was found hanging from a pipeline in the bathroom of the hotel room.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ernakulam sub-division) P Rajkumar said it was not known if he had died by suicide. It could be ascertained only after receiving the post-mortem report, he told South First.
“The NIA summoned the younger man. The Kerala police are not involved in the case. But we are investigating the death of Shafeeq. The person who died was not involved in the train arson case,” the officer said. He did not rule out the suicide angle.
“It appears to be a suicide, but we cannot fully confirm it now. The post-mortem examination will be conducted tomorrow. We will know of the cause of the death after receiving its report,” Rajkumar added.
The local police have registered a case of unnatural death and were investigating.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, 18 May, the Kerala government suspended senior IPS officer P Vijayan, the former head of the state’s ATS unit.
He was suspended for allegedly leaking information about the movement of the police team that brought Saifi to Kozhikode from Ratnagiri in Kozhikode, where he was arrested.
Vijayan, a popular officer, was placed under suspension — pending inquiry — based on a report by ADGP (Law and Order) MR Ajith Kumar. The report said the information leak was a serious security failure.
The order also said Vijayan, an Inspector General-ranked officer, and Grade Sub-Inspector Manoj Kumar K, who were not part of the team investigating the train arson case, contacted the officers who were taking the accused to Kozhikode by road.
It further said that since the ATS wing of police was expected to function more carefully, a detailed investigation into its officers was necessary.
ADGP (Police HQ) K Padmakumar would probe the alleged information leak.
The Kerala police’s strategy was to secretly bring Saifi to the state in a private SUV to avoid media and public attention. The plan went awry as the vehicle got a flat tyre and was stranded on the road in Kannur with only three officers to guard the accused.
The Maharashtra ATS arrested Saifi from Ratnagiri railway station, where he was reportedly waiting to catch a train to Ajmer on 5 April. Earlier, he slipped out of a hospital in the port city in southwest Maharashtra, where he was taken for treating injuries suffered after falling off a moving train.
IPS officer Vijayan is known for his several community initiatives, including the Student Police Cadet (SPC) project, and Punyam Poonkavanam, a project to keep Sabarimala, a prominent pilgrim centre, clean.
He formed the shadow police unit when he was the Commissioner of Kochi City police. The shadow police have now been tasked with monitoring the film industry for drug abuse.
Vijayan is a recipient of the President’s Medal for Meritorious Service (2015), and the Chief Minister’s Award for Innovation in Public Policy (2013).
Saifi, on 2 April night, indiscriminately sprinkled an inflammable liquor on passengers on board the D-1 coach of Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express, as the train was approaching the bridge over Korappuzha after Elanthur station in the Kozhikode district.
Later, three people, including an infant and her aunt, were found dead by the railway tracks. Nine other train passengers suffered burns in the incident.
The deceased were identified as Rahmath Manikoth, 45, her two-year-old niece Zahra Bathool, and Noufeeq KP, 40, The police said they might have been killed while jumping off the train to escape the blaze.
The “hue and cry” notice was issued by the Shaheen Bagh police. (Supplied)
Authorities found the bodies after Sarafudeen Mampally of Pappinissery in Kannur had reported that his wife Rahmath and niece were missing. He reported them missing after the train had reached Koyilandy.
Saifi reportedly travelled on the same train and hid near the Kannur Railway Station and boarded the Ernakulam-Ajmer Maru Sagar Express a little past midnight.
He reportedly jumped off the train near Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and suffered injuries. Though he was taken to the Civil Hospital there, he left the hospital to continue his journey to Ajmer.
A food packet found in Saifi’s backpack had earlier sparked suspicion that he was not acting alone. The accused claimed that the food was packed at his Delhi home. However, the food was not stale.
Saifi, who had been helping his father in carpentry, had gone missing from Delhi on 31 March. Based on his family’s complaint, the Shaheen Bagh police issued a “hue and cry” notice to trace the man on 2 April.
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