Pattoor goonda attack: Four suspects surrender

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid police lapses in arresting notorious gangster Om Prakash in connection with the Pattoor goonda attack case, four of his accomplices surrendered before the judicial first class magistrate court at Vanchiyoor in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.

The surrendered suspects are Asif, 35, Arif, 31, Jomon Ramesh, 24, and Ranjith, 21. They will be taken into custody for further proceedings, including interrogation and evidence collection, the police said. Sources said that Om Prakash is likely to surrender before the court soon.  

Meanwhile, crime branch officials raided Om Prakash’s house at Kowdiar on Saturday as part of the investigation. The dispute started when the house of brothers Asif and Arif at Mettukada came under attack by a rival gang led by another gangster Nithin on January 7.  In retaliation to this, Prakash and his accomplices hacked four members of the rival gang, including Nithin, using machetes at Pattoor on January 8. Two of Prakash’s aides were nabbed earlier.

Nithin, who heads a criminal gang, was at loggerheads with Om Prakash over business-related tussles. The Mettukada attack case was probed by the Museum police. However, the attack saw a rare resurfacing of the gangster, who had been lying low after being let off by the High Court in the Aprani Krishnakumar murder case.