THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Movies may make it seem that a career in the police force is glamorous, but it can be incredibly dangerous. Recently, a team from Njarackal police station experienced this first-hand during a nerve-wracking encounter.
It all began in December last year when Sajeesh, who’s working in the Gulf, returned to Cherai, his hometown, to get married. To ensure convenience while travelling, he leased a car.
Later, in April, on the day before the marriage, Sajeesh visited Arattuvazhi Beach to meet his friend. However, on his return, he found that the car was missing, along with a gold ring and three lakhs in cash. Alarmed, he rushed to the nearby police station.
The police quickly launched an investigation, reviewing CCTV footage from various locations. The car was soon spotted with a youngster at the wheel.
“We expanded the search to cameras along the national highway towards Guruvayoor. Footage from over 50 cameras were analysed closely,” says an officer who was part of the investigation.
The breakthrough finally came when officers identified the car in one of the visuals - it had stopped before a shop in Munambam. A police team arrived at the location and learnt that the youngster had left a mobile phone with the shopkeeper, saying his friend would pick it up later.
“So we reviewed the footage again and saw another car arrive to collect the phone. The individual who retrieved it was identified as Shihas, setting the investigation on a clearer path,” the officer says.
With one of the suspects identified, a three-member team led by a sub-inspector was dispatched to Kozhikode to apprehend him.
They arrived on May 9 and coordinated with the Pantheerankavu police before tracing Shihas to Poolenkara, a busy junction filled with shops and a marketplace.
The team planned to make their move at night to avoid public attention. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as smoothly as hoped.
“After spotting the suspect outside a shop, our team approached him and informed him that they were police officers. They requested that he accompany them to a nearby station for questioning.
However, as the officers were leading him to their vehicle, Shihas cried out for help. Within moments, over 100 people surrounded the officers,” he says.
Despite their repeated assertions that they were indeed policemen, the crowd refused to listen and began questioning them. One of the officers, civil police officer Bimal Raj, who was in plain clothes, was assaulted.
During the scuffle, Shihas managed to break free and escape. For about an hour, the mob held the officers cornered. They were only dispersed when reinforcements arrived from the Pantheerankavu police station.
Once the scene was under control, the injured officer received medical attention, and the team returned to Njarackal. A case was later registered against those involved in assaulting the police and obstructing the investigation.
The investigation revealed that Shihas and his associates had initially leased the car from another person before renting it to the complainant. They had retained a spare key, which they later used to steal the vehicle.
One individual was arrested in connection with the case, but Shihas secured anticipatory bail. The car is still missing, and police plan to approach the court to revoke Shihas’ bail due to his lack of cooperation.
The incident drew public attention, prompting caution regarding car leasing scams. Last month, another attempt to steal a leased car was thwarted by a resident of Puthuvypeen, who, suspecting fraud, disabled one of the vehicle’s wheels by removing its nuts and bolts.
When the thief tried to use the original key to steal the car, he was unable to move it and was later arrested. “He remains in jail, thanks to the preventive actions of the alert car owner,” the officer says.