Youths held for attacking cops

Kochi: City police arrested five youngsters after a group attacked cops in Thrikkakara early on Saturday.

Police said an officer sustained a fracture when the group, suspected to be in an inebriated state, attacked police officers near Marottichodu at Unichira. Other officers narrowly escaped without major injuries, police said.

The arrested persons have been identified as Akshay, 25, of Wayanad; Jineesh, 38, of Kollam; Ajmal, 20, and Althaf, 21, of Thiruvananthapuram; and Shamsudheen, 36, of Nenmara. All were reportedly employed as security personnel at a prominent shopping mall.

Inspector Udayakumar, attached to Kochi city traffic (East), suffered a fracture on his hand after being struck by a stone. Police reached the spot after residents of a nearby apartment complex raised a complaint of disturbance. The accused, residing in a rented apartment in the neighbourhood, blocked the police vehicle and engaged in a heated exchange with the officers.

Police officers claimed that the accused began creating a disturbance in their apartment around 12.30am. The accused turned aggressive and allegedly pelted stones at a control room vehicle (CRV) sent to the spot to check the disturbance complaint. Additional police teams were rushed to the spot as the situation escalated.

Following the melee, the accused went back to their apartment. Police later used force and broke into the locked apartment to arrest them. One of the videos in circulation shows the agitated confrontation, where the youths are seen saying that police threatened to beat them after entering their property. They can also be seen shouting that the cops are public servants and they ‘eat’ with the tax they pay.

Police said the accused created a ruckus even at the police station. Thrikkakara police said they were booked on charges including assault, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, obstructing police from discharging duty and causing public nuisance.

TN native stabbed to death: A 60-year-old man was found dead with multiple stab injuries in a vegetable shop at Illickal market in Kumbalanghi on Saturday morning. Palluruthy police said that a murder investigation has begun and they are examining the role of a possible suspect.

According to police, the deceased was from Palani, Tamil Nadu. He went by the names ‘Mahin’ and ‘Annan’. He was making a living near the market as a cobbler for around five years.

He was found dead around 7am by a vegetable vendor from Palluruthy when he arrived to open his shop. The victim was found covered in blood and sustained stab and slash wounds on his shoulder, face and neck.

The death is suspected to have occurred early on Saturday. Police sources said a suspect was identified from CCTV footage from the neighbourhood of the market, and his involvement was being verified. Police said that they were trying to trace the victim’s relatives. Palluruthy police registered an FIR under Sections 332(a) and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.