KOCHI: The month-long manhunt for Sanu Mohan who was absconding after the death of his 11-year-old daughter Vaiga, whose body was found in a mysterious condition in the Muttar river on 22 March, ended on Sunday with the police arresting the 40-year-old from Karnataka in the morning.
As per the information sourced from the local police here, Sanu was arrested by the police from Karwar in north Karnataka and was later handed over to the Kerala police.
The police cracked the case after a crucial information was shared by a Malayali employee of a hotel in Kollur where Sanu Mohan stayed from April 10-16. The Kerala police, with the help of Karnataka police, launched an intensive search in Mangaluru and Kollur in the last few days.
"After we got the location of Sanu Mohan on Saturday, a special team was deployed at Kollur to trace him. When the team reached the location, he had left the place. However, based on some information, the Karnataka police hunted him down at Karwar. They later handed over him to the Kerala police team," said a police officer.
According to a source, Sanu was planning to escape from Kollur to Goa. "As per the information we have, Sanu reached Kollur from Coimbatore. Though he took shelter in a hotel in Kollur, he seems to have got a hint on the police movement and moved towards Goa in a private tourist bus. Since the police have intensified the search across the state, he landed in the net," added the source.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the SIT will reach Kochi with Sanu on Sunday midnight.
It was on 21 March, Sanu and his daughter Vaiga went missing in mysterious conditions. Though Vaiga's body was recovered from the Muttar river near Manjummel, there was no clue on the whereabouts of her father Sanu. It was after the police recovered the CCTV footage from Walayar toll plaza, they concluded that Sanu was alive and he had a role in the death of his daughter. Even the report of the Regional Chemical Laboratory which came out on Saturday found the presence of alcohol in the body of Vaiga.
"As per the autopsy report, Vaiga died of drowning. But with the lab report, it is crystal clear that there an attempt of murder. So far Sanu was not added as an accused in this but this will be added after quizzing Sanu," said the police officer.