Cops track down car, driver involved in hit-and-run after two weeks

KOCHI: During their training, police personnel are told that even the smallest clue can help them get a breakthrough in an investigation. This proved true for the Kalady police recently when they cracked a mysterious hit-and-run case that took place two weeks earlier. Around 7pm on May 27, a 44-year-old pedestrian, a woman of Kariyad, was hit by a car near the Mattoor Nelamkulangara temple. The driver did not stop and local residents rushed the woman, who suffered multiple fractures on her shoulder, to the hospital. She was discharged just recently. 

A Kalady police official said a hit-and-run case was registered the day of the incident. However, people who had gathered at the accident spot could not provide any information about the vehicle, which made identifying the culprits a huge challenge. The police decided to examine visuals of CCTV cameras from the road and nearby shops. 

“We examined around 25 CCTV cameras in the area and found that a white Honda City car had hit the woman. However, since the accident occurred at night, the visuals were not clear and the registration number and other details could not be ascertained. We tried tracking down everyone who owned a white Honda City in the surrounding areas but nothing concrete emerged,” said the officer.That was when one of the officers suggested the possibility of checking the flight schedule of Kochi airport. 

“Since the accident took place near Kochi airport and people often use MC Road to go there, the police checked the possibility of such a car coming from the airport,” said the official. It bore fruit.“We found that a flight had landed around half an hour before the accident and the car had been coming from the airport. The next challenge was to identify the exact car. For this, we decided to check the details of vehicle entry and exit points of the airport. That, along with the CCTV camera footage, helped us zero in on the exact car,” said the official.

The police arrested Jerrin Varghese, 29, a native of Edamon near Ranni, who had been allegedly driving the car. He was reportedly returning home after picking up his relatives from the airport when the accident occurred.“He was released as there is provision only for a bailable offence in the case. Still, the officers are proud that they could track down the vehicle and its driver after two weeks of effort,” said the official.