THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The rural district police have arrested a wanted criminal who has been evading arrest for the past 20 years. Biju alias Attingal Ayyappan, 50 is the accused. Ayyappan has numerous grave criminal cases pending in his name in various police stations across the district.
According to rural SP P K Madhu, the accused was caught from his current hideout at Ponkunnam in Kottayam by a special team of police from Attingal station on Sunday morning. By afternoon, he was brought to Attingal station, where his arrest was recorded.
“The accused has been arrested as part of a special drive to nab wanted criminals in view of upcoming assembly election,” the SP said.
Ayyappan, who originally hails from Thuckalay in Tamil Nadu, migrated to Attingal and was involved in many cases ranging from murder, attempt to murder, extortion and armed robbery. He had been evading arrest since 2001. He is the main accused in two murders reported under Kadakkavoor and Thirvallom police station limits. He has several attempt-to-murder cases pending at Kadakavoor, Chirayinkeezhu, Varkala, Medical College, Museum, Poojapura and Thiruvallom police station limits. Courts concerned have declared him wanted in connection with all these cases.
Attingal station house officer inspector T Rajesh Kumar said Ayyappan used to shift his base frequently to evade arrest. Ayyappan was living in a Gulf country from 2007 to 2018, police said adding that he managed to flee the country while still being wanted by police using a passport he had secured using his old address in Thuckalay.
“Even while he was away from home, he had been active as a criminal, controlling his accomplices remotely to commit crimes,” inspector Kumar said. The Attingal police have recorded his arrest in connection with an armed robbery he committed in the year 2001. The case pertains to robbing money from the manager of a finance firm by a gang led by Ayyappan.
Following his arrest, officials in charge of as many as 18 other cases in which Ayyappan is an accused, have reached out to the Attingal police informing them about the cases. Ayyappan was produced before the local magistrate and remanded in judicial custody by Sunday evening.