Gangster escapes by leading a large-scale crowd against Kerala police and is now at large

Ten days after a bold 150-strong crowd attacked three Kochi police officers in Poolenkara, Kozhikode, and liberated the accused—a member of a vehicle theft gang—police are stumbling about trying to find this bandit.

When the police team—sub inspector Dharmarathnam A K and two other officers from the Njarackal police station in Kochi—arrived at Poolenkara on May 9 to apprehend an accused in a car theft case, they were taken hostage by the crowd. It was a harrowing encounter that lasted for one hour. The accused, a vehicle theft gang member, was able to elude police officers by the time the crowd “realized” that it was a police operation.

The incident started on May 9 in the afternoon when a three-person police squad under the command of Dharmarathnam arrived in Poolenkara to arrest Shiyas, a co-defendant in the theft of a vehicle that was rented from Arattuvazhi beach in Njarackal on April 28.

Since Poolenkara was within the Pantheerankavu police station’s authority, we first disclosed our reason for visiting there. We later arrived in Poolenkara about 7 pm, having been informed that Shiyas were present there. The other two members were dressed in civil dress, while I was in uniform. In Poolenkara, we saw Shiyas standing at a crossroads. As part of the investigation, we called him and asked whether he would mind going to the police station with us. He did, however, let out a loud call for assistance while we were moving him to the police car, according to Dharmarathnam.

For Dharmarathnam and the other two officers, what transpired at Poolenkara intersection later on in their police careers was unparalleled. People crowded around us, coming from all angles. We were surrounded by perhaps 150–100 individuals. We introduced ourselves as Ernakulam police officers and said that we needed to accompany Shiyas to Njarackal in order to conduct further investigation into a theft case. They weren’t prepared to listen, however. After that, they began interrogating us. They kept asking us the same questions about why we were there and whether we were indeed police officers. The guys had us fully surrounded,” he stated.

In the meanwhile, the crowd beat Bimal Raj, a civil police officer, for opposing their attempts to release the detained Shiyas.

Since Dharmarathnam was wearing a police uniform, they avoided touching him.

“At first, we made an effort to convey to the public that we were police officers. However, we chose to remain composed when we realized they wouldn’t hear us. The strike squad from the Pantheerankavu police station came after we waited there for almost forty-five minutes. Within fifteen minutes, the crowd was broken up with the assistance of more police officers. Later, Bimal Raj, who was hurt, was moved to a police station.

The number of events involving hatred directed against police officers has increased recently. Police officers are often interfered with in the course of carrying out their duties. We’re most disappointed that Shiyas was able to flee when the crowd came for us. It’s unclear whether the mafia was aware that he was a party to a criminal case. We have learned that Shiyas would probably turn himself in to the police shortly,” he said.

According to Olavanna panchayat member Jayarajan Mavoli, who represents Poolenkara ward, the incident happened because some people mistook police for thugs.

He said that after the event, an all-party meeting was called at the Pantheerankavu police station, and it was decided to assist with the mob incident investigation.

“We were unaware that the individual the police were called to assist had a criminal case against them. He was employed as a driver. When three guys pushed Shiyas into their car, others thought it was an attempt at kidnapping. People realized it was a police operation when Pantheerankavu police officers arrived at the scene. People expressed sadness that someone sought in a criminal case was able to evade justice as a result of their careless reaction, he added.

The course of events

Sajeesh, 32, of Cherai, a Gulf returnee, leased a car for two lakh rupees in December 2023 from a Ponnani local so he could utilize it for travel as part of his marriage. The automobile that was parked at Arattuvazhi beach was taken between 9 and 9.30 am the day before the wedding.

He said that inside the car was a gold ring and three lakh rupees. Njarackal police opened a case and began an investigation on the same day after receiving a complaint.

Investigators discovered that the stolen vehicle was driven in the direction of Kozhikode. The car pulled over at a Munambam store on route to Kozhikode.

The shopkeeper was given a cell phone by someone in the vehicle, who said that his buddy would pick it up afterwards. “Based on the CCTV video gathered throughout the inquiry, we discovered that Shiyas had arrived to the store and taken the phone. The shopkeeper subsequently verified it. So, in order to capture Shiyas, we came to Poolenkara, a police officer said.

The Ponnani resident who rented the automobile to Sajeesh is also wanted by the police.