Thiruvananthapuram: The Railway Police have released an image of the man who intervened to subdue the accused in the Varkala train attack, identifying him from CCTV footage on the Kerala Express. Authorities are working to locate him in order to honour his bravery and offer a reward.

CCTV footage from the compartment where the incident occurred, recently collected by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), shows the man, dressed in red, risking his life to rescue a girl from the attacker, Suresh Kumar. The footage captures him pulling the second girl back onto the train and restraining the accused. The hero’s identity is yet to be confirmed.

The investigation team is preparing to conduct an identification parade with Suresh Kumar (50), accused of kicking a girl off the train. The parade will take place in jail, and authorities said they will take the accused into custody only after this procedure. Sreekutty’s friend, Archana, who was present during the attack, has already identified the accused from images and video footage.

The CCTV also shows Sreekutty, a resident of Palode who was critically injured after falling from the train, and her friend Archana arguing with Suresh Kumar inside the train. Police said the confrontation began after the girls questioned him about smoking on the train.

Investigators also found that Suresh Kumar boarded the train from Kottayam in a drunken state with a companion, but his friend, who was sleeping, was not involved in the attack. The brutal incident occurred around 8:30 pm on Sunday in the general compartment of the Kerala Express, bound for Thiruvananthapuram, sparking widespread outrage across Kerala.