Varkala train assault case: Man who took on attacker identified

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police have identified the key witness in the case in which a girl was kicked off a moving train in Varkala . The youth who rescued Archana the friend of the seriously injured Sreekutty and overpowered the attacker, Suresh, a native of Vellarada, was traced on Sunday. The rescuer has been identified as Sankar Paswan, a native of Bihar and an employee with a private firm at the Kochuveli Industrial Estate. His statement has been recorded. The investigation team had earlier obtained his visuals from CCTV. Sankar, who was wearing a red shirt at the time of the incident, had been the subject of a police alert seeking information on his whereabouts. The incident occurred on November 2 near the general compartment door of the Kerala Express. Suresh Kumar allegedly kicked Sreekutty off the train while she was standing with Archana. He then attempted to attack Archana as well. Hearing her cries, Sankar rushed to her aid, rescued her and restrained Suresh. The police identified Sankar during a detailed review of CCTV footage. Though cameras at Kochuveli railway station were examined, he could not be located there. Meanwhile, the investigation team collected evidence from Varkala in the presence of the accused. Suresh re-enacted the act for investigators. Evidence collection was also carried out in Kottayam earlier.