KOCHI: Soon after openly challenging Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala to order a fresh probe into the case against him and daring the police to act, a 10-member special squad was constituted to trace history-sheeter Arjun Ayanki. Police conducted an extensive search in Kochi on Friday and later moved to Thrissur after his last mobile phone tower location was traced there.
As police got visuals of him crossing Paliyekkara Toll Plaza, Ayanki continued to taunt the police on social media, posting that he was “waiting at the Vadakkunnathan Temple grounds” in Thrissur. Meanwhile, his brother Akhil Ayanki was booked from Thrissur around 7.30pm for allegedly helping him evade arrest. Two of Ayanki’s friends from Kannur have also been detained on similar allegations. Police across the district have been alerted as the search operation continues.
The manhunt was launched after Ayanki challenged Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday in a Facebook post saying, “I challenge Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala to order a reinvestigation into the case in which my friends and I were arraigned as accused and jailed. If the reinvestigation proves that I am innocent, then action should be taken against Circle Inspector Prashanth for abusing his authority by foisting a false case against me.”
He added that if that happened, he would personally honour the minister with a shawl and “even give him a kiss”. “Don’t try to intimidate me. I come from a different political school,” he said.
Ayanki’s remarks came days after Chennithala said the government would crack down on those threatening police officers. “Wait and see what comes next,” the minister had said.
Ayanki accused the police of destroying his life and reiterated that he and his friends had been falsely implicated in an organised crime case when they attended a friend’s wedding in Kothamangalam.
Following the social media challenge, the home minister directed police to arrest Ayanki at the earliest. The special team was constituted by Rural SP K S Sudarshan to trace Ayanki. The investigation is being supervised by the Muvattupuzha DySP. The team includes the Oonnukal Inspector, two SIs and other police officers. Searches have been intensified at locations linked to Ayanki, his relatives and associates.
Ayanki had earlier landed in fresh trouble after posting messages on social media challenging Oonnukal Inspector B S Adarsh, who is investigating a case related to alleged threats against the Kothamangalam Inspector. He had claimed that although he was willing to surrender, police were harassing his friends. He also allegedly sent the investigating officer a voice message containing abuses and threats before posting it on Instagram. Following this, Oonnukal Police registered another case against him.