Kozhikode: Three persons, including a one-year-old child and a woman, were found dead and nine others sustained serious burn injuries after a man allegedly set afire a co-passenger on board an express train in Kozhikode on Sunday, police said.
According to the police, at around 9.45 pm, when the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train reached the Korapuzha railway bridge after crossing Kozhikode town, an unidentified person poured inflammable liquid on a co-passenger and set him on fire, leaving several people injured.
Police suspect that the accused fled when the train slowed down after passengers of the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express pulled an emergency chain.
Passengers informed the Railway Protection Force (RPF) about the incident and the fire was doused. At the same time, the injured were admitted to hospitals.
Some passengers also complained of a woman and a child going missing after the incident, following which the city police inspected the tracks and recovered three bodies, including that of a woman and a child and a middle-aged man. The child was one year old.
Police suspect that they fell off the train after seeing the fire or they tried to escape from the fire on the train.
A senior district police officer said, “The missing woman and child were found dead on the tracks. The unidentified body of a man has been found. We have got CCTV footage of the suspect. Investigation is underway.”