Electrocuted Ottappalam youth ran while cops were taking statement: Police

KOCHI: The city police have started verifying the visuals, recorded by police personnel and the public on their mobile phones, of the incident in which a 25-year-old youth from Ottappalam was electrocuted while trying to escape from a police team that had caught him for allegedly possessing over 4kg of ganja on Monday.A team under the Ernakulam ACP has been formed to probe the incident on the directive of City Police Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam. 

“We have verified the visuals which clearly show what happened. Ranjith, the youth, fled from the spot while the police were completing due process after detecting the crime,” Nagaraju said.The police officers said due to Covid protocol, the personnel have been strictly directed to maintain social distancing, which was why they were standing a few feet away from Ranjith after he was apprehended. 

“He ran while the police were taking his statement. The visuals show that clearly. He would have been handcuffed after his arrest was officially recorded. The matter was in the detection stage when he ran,” said a senior police officer. To ensure independent assessment of the incident, the police have brought in a magistrate to conduct inquest procedures, normally done by the police themselves. 

“We have directed all police personnel to shoot videos whenever such a crime is detected. In this incident, videos taken by the police helped the department get a clear picture of the events that transpired,” said the officer. The police have also decided to intensify the probe to identify the rest of the members of the drug racket that handed over the ganja to Ranjith. “Ranjith came to the city to meet a buyer. We are collecting more details to locate the other persons in the racket that supplied the contraband,” said an officer.