Thiruvananthapuram: A convict in a twin-murder case, who had been involved in ganja peddling after getting out of prison on parole, has been arrested by the city police on Tuesday.
The police identified the accused as Hashim, 46, of Valiyathura. He was taken into custody from Myladikkadavu near Valiyasalai. Hashim had been kept in the high-security prison at Viyyur. In August last year he was released on parole. But, even after his parole period of one month expired, he did not return to the prison. Following this, Viyyur prison authorities had alerted the police. Ever since, the police had been searching for him.
His arrest was recorded at Thampanoor police station on Tuesday.
The police said that Hashim is a convicted prisoner serving life sentence for the murder of a journalist, Binulal, and a police flying squad officer, Vijayan, during an armed robbery attempt near Overbridge in the city in the year 1996. He was part of a robbery gang. He was later arrested and convicted for life.
City narcotic cell assistant commissioner T R Pradeep Kumar, whose team caught Hashim, said that the fugitive landed in custody during an operation to nab members of a gang that was involved in ganja peddling.
“It was after we caught him, we realized that he was a fugitive,” the assistant commissioner said. He added that the the Viyyur central prison authorities had issued three lookout notices in Hashim’s name so far.
Meanwhile, a probe is also on to find his accomplices who had been helping him do ganja business and survive outside the prison, said Pradeep Kumar.