KOCHI: After a relentless pursuit lasting two years, the Kerala Police have successfully apprehended from Assam a migrant worker who had escaped after sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Kalamassery.
Mahesan Saikye, 21, was arrested by a seven-member team from the Kalamassery police station in an operation reminiscent of the hit Mammootty-starrer ‘Kannur Squad’.
The accused, who was living in the village of Khalihamari in Assam under the protection of an ULFA militant, was arrested with precise planning and a tactical approach, the police said.
Saikye got acquainted with the girl through social media during his year-long stay in Kalamassery as a migrant labourer. The case was registered in 2021.
“Though the police initiated a probe based on a complaint lodged by the girl’s family, the accused managed to escape. Even when the police team reached his native place, he remained under the protection of an ULFA militant, as his uncle is also part of the outfit,” an officer with the Kalamassery police station told TNIE.
Though the Kerala Police sought the help of the Assam Police to arrest Saikye, the request was turned down citing his ULFA background.
“We were about to catch the accused but someone in the Assam Police leaked the information. They were even frightened to trace him,” the officer said.
However, the police officers were not ready to abandon their plans. They began tracing him with the help of the cyber team, collecting phone numbers of his close relatives.
“We understood that he was still in his hometown of Khalihamari, close to the Arunachal Pradesh border. After monitoring his movements closely, we discovered that he would be participating in a festival scheduled in the village on January 15. As planned, he attended the festival and was arrested without anyone suspecting the move,” the officer said.
The team faced several challenges, including in finding accommodation, because of the non-cooperation of the local people.
“With the help of the National Police group, an online group of police officers from different parts of the country, we secured accommodation at an Army man’s house,” the officer said.
Saikye was produced in a court in Kochi on Tuesday.
The seven-member police team was led by SHO Pradeep Kumar G and comprised sub inspectors Vinoj A and Subair V A and civil police officers Binu V, S Sreejith, Mahin Aboobacker, and Arun.