ALAPPUZHA: The police have confirmed that the recent thefts in areas under the Mannanchery police station limit was carried out by the ‘Kuruva gang’. Alappuzha DySP M R Madhu Babu, who is heading the investigation, said that Santhosh is a member of the ‘Kuruva gang’ and was the one involved in thefts at Mannanchery.
On Saturday, the police nabbed two individuals- Santhosh Selvam and Manikandan, both natives of Thiruchirapilly, Tamil Nadu, from Kundannoor in Ernakulam, in connection with the thefts on October 29. Though Santhosh escaped from custody, he was recaptured a few hours later from Kundannoor. In the early hours of Sunday, the duo was brought to Mannanchery for evidence collection. The police recorded the arrest of Santhosh. Officials said that Manikandan’s arrest was not recorded yet.
DySP said that a group of 12 to 14 members of the gang’, all hailing from Tamil Nadu, were currently in Kerala. “Santhosh is linked to eight cases in Kerala. He has already confessed to being involved in around 30 cases across different locations. More arrests related to thefts would follow,” DySP said.
Meanwhile, a group of women reportedly relatives of Santhosh and Manikandan, protested in front of the Mannanchery police station, claiming that the duo has been wrongfully implicated in the case. The women said that they earned a livelihood through rag picking and that the men were not involved in any thefts. The police, however, termed their claims baseless. Officials said the role of these women in the thefts would also be probed.