Mangaluru: Mangaluru CCB police team on Wednesday arrested an accused who was evading arrest after his involvement in an assault and murder case reported near MRPL under the jurisdiction of Surathkal police station about 30 years ago. The arrested individual is Jose Kutty Papachan,55, a resident of Kaithakode, Kottarakkara, in Kollam, Kerala.
Mangaluru City police commissioner Anupam Agrawal said that unidentified persons assaulted security guards Suresh, Narayana, and Devanna near MRPL township in Bala village on March 12, 1995.Narayana, who was injured seriously, died, and a case in this regard was registered at the Surathkal police station.
In another case on the same day, among the accused in the aforementioned case, Achhan Kunju and Jose Kutty were involved in a brawl with labourers sleeping near the canteen at the MRPL site. When Thomas, a relative of the accused, tried to intervene, he was attacked with an iron rod, resulting in serious injuries and hospitalisation. A case was registered against Achhan Kunju and Jose Kutty. These same accused previously fought with and assaulted security guard Narayana, leading to his murder.
The accused involved in the murder and assault went into hiding without being arrested. Despite police efforts to gather information and locate them, they remained elusive. After committing the crime, they fled to their hometown in Kerala, and hid in various places, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu. An LPC warrant was issued against them.
Among the accused, Achhan Kunju passed away about eight years ago. The other accused, Jose Kutty, remained in hiding. After gathering information for about four months, Mangaluru CCB police arrested Jose Kutty Papachan from Thrippunithura in Ernakulam district, Kerala, and handed him over to Surathkal police station for further action.
The operation to locate the accused involved CCB unit ACP Manoj Kumar Naik, police inspector Shyam Sundar HM, ASI Mohan KV, and CCB staff, the commissioner said, lauding his subordinates.