KOCHI: Six days after the hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of a college student in Angamaly, the main accused, Cyriac P George, was arrested from Vagamon on Friday.
The accused doctor was traced following a statewide search, and sources said the special investigation team from Ernakulam will soon reach Vagamon to take him into custody.
Sources said Cyriac’s phone location and details gathered during searches conducted at the houses of his relatives helped the police trace his whereabouts.
Earlier in the day, the Angamaly police had arrested his father, George Mathew, for allegedly helping the accused go into hiding after the incident.
Cyriac, a young doctor, is accused of driving the car that struck 19-year-old Jasliya Johnson, a BCom student of Morning Star College, on February 28 before fleeing the scene. The car involved in the accident is registered in the name of George Mathew.
The police had on Thursday formed a special investigation team led by Aluva DySP N Babukuttan, deploying three squads to track down Cyriac and issuing a lookout notice against him. The teams had also conducted searches at his house in Athirampuzha and at the homes of his relatives.
Police sources said George Mathew appeared at the Angamaly police station on Friday morning following a notice issued by the police. However, officers said they were not convinced by his claim that he had no information about his son’s whereabouts and suspected that he had helped Cyriac evade arrest. He was subsequently taken into custody.
The arrest of the accused came amid mounting criticism over the delay in tracing him.
Jasliya’s parents had on Thursday questioned the police for failing to arrest the accused even after six days.