Youth beaten to death in Vypeen, one arrested

KOCHI: In yet another case of alleged gang rivalry, a 22-year-old was beaten to death on Tuesday morning at Pallathamkulangara near Kuzhuppilly Beach in Vypeen. The body of Pranav, son of Prasad, a native of Kallumadathil, Cherai, was spotted by some fishermen around 4.30am. Suspecting it to be a case of murder due to the injuries on the body, the Munambam police launched an investigation and arrested a 19-year-old within 15 hours of the murder. The arrested person is Ambadi, a native of Ayyampilly.

“All persons involved in the crime have been identified and the rest of them will be arrested soon. We will examine the accused’s criminal history and initiate steps to invoke action under relevant Sections of the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) against them,” said K Karthik, Ernakulam Rural SP.According to the police, the clash between Pranav and the accused occurred around 4am. “Around half an hour later, the fishermen found the body in a pool of blood.

Wooden sticks and pieces of tube lights, which were suspected to have been used to hit Pranav, were seized from the spot,” said a police officer. Pranav’s footwear was later found some distance away from his body, which led the police to the assumption that the incident was the result of a clash between two gangs. As per the statement of Pranav’s family members, a few friends had summoned him from the house on Monday night.

“Pranav was also involved in some criminal activities and had links with a goonda gang in the area. It is likely that some issue between the gang members led to the clash and his subsequent murder. We had looked into the people who called him out of his house, which helped us arrest an accused. An investigation is under way to ascertain the exact reason for the sudden provocation,” said an official with the probe team. 

According to local residents, the police used to conduct night patrolling in the area due to the presence of anti-social elements. In March this year, the police busted a Tamil Nadu-based eight-member gang that was reportedly hired to murder a political leader in the district. 

Two long knives and iron rods that the gang had stashed in a car were also recovered. Perumbavoor Anas, a notorious gang leader with multiple criminal cases registered against him, was the gang’s target.