KOCHI: A Kochi City police team on Wednesday reached Ahmedabad to confirm the involvement of four Italians -- arrested by the Gujarat crime branch -- in the incident related to defacing a Kochi Metro train parked at Muttom yard on May 22. The Gujarat crime branch arrested Cudini Gianluca, 24, Baldo Sacha, 24, Starinieri Danileli, 21, and Capecci Paolo, 27, who were allegedly involved in painting graffiti on two parked coaches of Ahmedabad Metro before it was to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
According to police officials, attempts made by the Kochi police to coordinate with Gujarat crime branch to get information regarding the accused persons did not see any result. This led the police to send a team to Ahmedabad to directly speak with their counterparts there and collect information about the foreign nationals.
“Our team has reached Ahmedabad and is collecting information from the crime branch there. We have to confirm whether these persons were involved in the graffiti painted on the metro train in Kochi too. If their involvement is confirmed, we will move the court to complete the procedure for bringing them to Kochi and record their arrests,” Kochi Deputy Commissioner of Police S Sasidharan said. The police are also verifying with airport authorities, tour operators and travel agents as to whether these persons had travelled to Kochi in May this year.