KOCHI: Two officers with Kochi city traffic police were injured while attempting to arrest two accused involved in a chain snatching case at Palarivattom on Saturday. SI Arul and ASI Rejikumar of the Kochi city east traffic police station are the two injured. Reji Kumar sustained a fracture on his arms. Both are recuperating at a private hospital in the city, police said.
The dramatic events unfolded around 7.40 am when bike-borne youths snatched the chain weighing 18g of a woman fish vendor from Aroor on Sasthri Road at Chalikkavattom. Based on the complaint of the woman, the police launched an investigation.
As soon as the police received the complaint, the details of the high-end motorcycle, on which the accused were travelling, were reported to the control room and the movements of the accused were monitored through CCTV cameras. Police personnel were also deployed in various parts of the city. A team led by Palarivattam SHO Joseph Sajan found the accused at Edappally waiting for the traffic signal, but could not arrest them.
When the duo entered P J Antony Road, SI Arul and ASI Rejikumar, who were on duty, followed them. Realising that the police were chasing them, the accused unleashed an attack with beer bottles against the officers before abandoning their vehicle and running into a nearby building in an attempt to escape. However, they were nabbed.
Escape bid thwarted
The accused Sajan Raj, 22, and Paul Kannan, 28, both hailing from Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu, attacked the officers with beer bottles before abandoning their vehicle and running into a nearby building in an attempt to escape