Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 3 (IANS): Hours after an unidentified man set co-passengers afire inside a moving Kannur-bound train on Sunday night, national agencies like the NIA have initiated a preliminary probe into the incident.

In the melee, three passengers who are believed to have jumped off the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express, were found dead on the track. A two-year-old and his aunt were among the deceased.

According to sources, when the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express was about to cross the Korapuzha bridge between Kozhikode and Kannur stretch around 9.30 pm, a middle-aged man threw petrol on passengers and set them ablaze.

Nine other passengers, who suffered burn injuries, are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kozhikode.

Passengers who witnessed the gruesome incident said the culprit was a bearded man in a red-coloured shirt. He came from the D2 compartment into the D1 compartment and committed the crime.

Other passengers pulled the chain and the stopped the train.

The accused then jumped off the train and disappeared under the cover of darkness.

This morning, the CCTV footage showed the person riding pillion on a bike around 50 metres away from where he jumped off the train.

A bag and a switched off mobile phone were recovered from the spot.

The bag contained a piece of paper with a note in English and Hindi about places in nearby Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari. It also had a pair of dress, spectacles, and a bottle containing petrol.

State Police chief Anil Kant, who was to take part in a function along with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Kannur, is scheduled to reach the accident spot later in the day.