KOCHI : Police have launched an investigation after reports emerged that dreaded gangster P K Anas alias Perumbavoor Anas and his associate travelled abroad on fake passports. Kochi City police booked Anas, whose operations included murder, gold smuggling and terrorism-related activity, among others, and his associate Perumbavoor Shaji.
The case was registered at Ernakulam South station on Wednesday night. According to officers, a drive was launched recently to track criminal gangs and their kingpins operating in Kochi and other parts of the district. Anas was one of the prime targets.
“We realised that Anas had left the state. He is believed to be in Dubai. He had been out on bail, one of the conditions for which mandated that he would not travel abroad without the permission of respective courts. He had surrendered his original passport while executing bail in a criminal case. Our investigation revealed that he flew out using a fake passport,” an officer said.
Perumbavoor Shaji, also known as Shaji Pappan, is believed to have helped Anas obtain the fake passport, which officers confirmed with the passport office. “His gang members claim that he shifted to Dubai after carrying out some financial fraud in Kochi. Social media videos emerged showing him attending events in Gulf countries. We have charged non-bailable offences. We will initiate steps to have his bail cancelled for violation of conditions,” a senior officer said.
The investigation was conducted by a team led by the deputy commissioner of police. Anas and his aide were booked under IPC sections 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using forged documents), sections of the Passport Act pertaining to travelling without a valid passport and tampering documents.
Anas first came under the lens of law enforcement after being named an accused in Kozhikode twin blast cases probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). After being acquitted, Anas and Kannur-based Adul Aleem, named in the Kalamassery bus burning case, also probed by NIA, were apprehended by customs in 2014 for trying to smuggle gold through Nedumbassery airport.
Later, Anas started a criminal gang which was active across Kochi and engaged in ‘quotation’ activity, abduction, extortion and theft. He and Aleem were hired by a businessman to attack another entrepreneur in Kannur. Anas also ventured into politics and was named general secretary of the youth wing of the LJP. In 2020, he was arrested by Karnataka police for the murder of goonda leader C S Unnikrishnan in Mangaluru.