KOZHIKODE: The capture of Vineesh — the convict in the 2021 murder of 21-year-old Drishya — following a three-month manhunt that spanned multiple states, has brought a mix of relief and concern to the victim’s family, who have spent the last 100 days in fear. Deepa, Drishya’s mother, cautioned the authorities, insisting that the 26-year-old convict is a “highly intelligent manipulator” who feigns mental illness to secure transfers to less secure facilities.
“We spent the last three months in absolute terror. He previously threatened to wipe out our entire family upon his release, and he has already proven he can escape from medical facilities twice,” Deepa stated. “We demand that he be held in a high-security prison, not a hospital. He is not mentally ill; he is simply acting to exploit the system.”
A special investigative team apprehended Vineesh – who escaped from the Government Mental Health Centre, Kuthiravattom, in late December – on Saturday and he was brought back to Kozhikode via the Duronto Express on Sunday under heavy police escort.
While held in a high-security block at the mental health centre, Vineesh reportedly smuggled an iron rod into his cell and spent several days gradually drilling a hole through the toilet wall. To ensure he was left undisturbed, he used aggressive behaviour and abusive language to keep hospital staff at a distance. On December 29, he crawled through the opening, changed his clothes, and escaped.
The search for Vineesh was challenging as the accused strictly avoided mobile phones and digital footprints. He travelled from Kozhikode to Mangaluru and eventually to Maharashtra, where he took odd jobs, including collecting scrap metal and, most recently, working as a labourer on a fishing boat at Uran harbour in Mumbai.
The Special Action Group, led by ACP Biju V and under the direction of District Police Chief Merin Joseph, relied on traditional ‘boots-on-the-ground’ policing. After scanning over 400 CCTV clips across Nashik, Nagpur, and Kalyan, investigators finally spotted Vineesh. A team camped in Mumbai for nearly a week before capturing the convict.
The police have noted that Vineesh has a history of calculated criminal behaviour. Before murdering Drishya in Perinthalmanna, he had allegedly set fire to her business establishment. This history of premeditation is what drives the victim’s family to call for a more rigorous judicial process. They are now petitioning the Chief Minister and the Kerala State Human Rights Commission to ensure that Vineesh is not given another opportunity to escape prison.