KOLLAM: The Kollam Police on Thursday arrested wanted criminal Vadival Vineeth, who was involved in nearly 50 robbery cases in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha districts.
Vineeth was arrested from Kadpakkada in Kollam by a team led by City police commissioner T Narayanan while trying to escape from Chadayamangalam in a stolen car.
He attempted to steal money from a petrol pump in Kilimanoor after threatening a worker with a knife at around 2 am.
Vineeth escaped from the spot in a bullet when another vehicle entered the pump.
However, Vishnu, the petrol pump staffer, immediately informed Kilimanoor police, who then further alerted the Kollam rural police.
Upon reaching Chadayamangalam, Vineeth abandoned the bike but was nabbed with the help of the locals before he could flee.
Vineeth, a native of Ambalapuzha was earlier arrested in November 2020 by the Ernakulam rural police along with his gang members named Michelle, Shinzi and Shyam, who are also involved in several cases.
However, Vineeth and Michelle escaped from the Covid primary centre, where they were kept under observation after the arrest and had been on the run since then.
After escaping from the Covid centre alone, around 20 robberies were carried out by the duo at various places.
Michelle was arrested by the Karunagapally police on Monday while trying to flee to Thiruvananthapuram.