THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two men, who had been on the run since Friday after hurling crude explosives at a police team from Mangalapuram station, were arrested by the Aryanadu police on Sunday.
Shafeeq, 26, of Pachira, and Abin, 23, of Kadakkavoor, were nabbed from Aryanadu. The duo was hiding in a house which is under construction. The police said the two roughed up the owner of the house after the latter questioned them about their presence at the place. Later, the duo pushed him into a well.
Hearing the cries of the man, the local residents rushed to the spot and caught Shafeeq, while Abin managed to flee. While the owner of the house was rescued from the well, the residents handed Shafeeq over to the police.
Abin was also later found by the residents and handed over to the cops. Both have been booked on charges of attempt to murder. The Mangalapuram police will seek Shafeeq’s custody in connection with the crude bomb attack. The attack on the policemen took place on Friday when the cops went to the residence of siblings Shameer and Shafeeq in connection with a criminal case probe. The two were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Nikhil, a youth from Puthenthope. As the cops tried to arrest the siblings, Shameer hurled crude explosives at the cops, which narrowly missed the target. Shameer’s mother Sheeja also tried to obstruct the cops by allegedly throwing an axe at them.
The police managed to arrest Shameer and Sheeja, while Shafeeq and his accomplice Abin managed to flee. Later, when the cops arrived again to apprehend Shafeeq, he hurled a crude bomb at them.
Shameer, meanwhile, attempted to kill himself inside the cell at Mangalapuram police station by slitting his neck using a blade he had hidden under his tongue.
The police had found that the duo -- Shafeeq and Abin -- escaped in a car towards Nedumangad. On the way, they reportedly stole a music system from a lorry and made away with a gas cylinder from a house. The police identified that it was Shafeeq and Abin who carried out the theft and passed a message to all the police stations in the area.