The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet in the NIA Special Court in Kochi against one Sharukh Saifi in the Kozhikode train arson case in which three people, including a child, were killed and nine others injured in April this year.

Saifi (27), a resident of New Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Railways Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public property (PDPP) Act. The chargesheet says that he had thrown and sprinkled petrol on the passengers and set the bogey on fire with a lighter with the intention to kill people.

“NIA investigations show that Saifi had chosen Kerala for the act involving terror and arson as he wanted to commit his Jihadi act in a location where he would not be recognised,” the NIA said in a press release.

“The accused was self-radicalised through various online propaganda materials available on social media in favour of violent extremism and Jihad, as propagated by radical Islamic preachers of Indian and foreign nationalities. In this process, he followed radical and hardline Islamic preachers including those who are Pakistan-based, on social media platforms. He had committed the arson as a Jihadi terror act in pursuance of online radicalisation,” it added.

During the course of its investigations, NIA conducted searches in 10 locations in Delhi and seized digital devices. Several witnesses were questioned and CCTV footage from the Railway Station was also seized.