THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The main accused in the Ooruttambalam petrol pump attack case was arrested by Maranalloor police on Saturday. Adarsh, 27, a native of Balaramapuram, was arrested from Kollam where he had been lying low since the incident that took place on February 4 this year.
According to the police, Adarsh led an eight-member gang that attacked the petrol pump staff and looted Rs 25,000 from them. The gang had arrived at the petrol pump under the guise of filling fuel. After refilling, two of the bikes drove away after refusing to pay cash.
The pump staff questioned the group members over the matter. During the altercation, the gang members, some of them having criminal cases against them, attacked the pump staff and decamped with the collection bag that allegedly had Rs 25000 in it. This incident created a big furore, prompting the police to take strong action.
The police registered cases against eight people, who all went into hiding as the investigators began tracking them down. Seven of them were nabbed two months later from their hideouts. Adarsh, the first accused, meanwhile fled to Kollam and thus managed to evade the cops for some time.
The police, meanwhile, got information about his presence in Kollam and took him into custody. The Maranalloor police said Adarsh has a strong criminal antecedent.