Upright father helps police nab sons involved in chain-snatching
Tracking down low-profile criminals can be a daunting task when they enjoy familial backing. Investigators frequently encounter parents who shield their children, even when they are embroiled in grave crimes.
It is rare for police to come across individuals like ‘Chacko Mash’ (Spadikam) and ‘Head Constable Achuthan Nair’ (Kireedam) in real life — parents who set aside their parental instincts and assist law enforcement in the pursuit of justice.
However, such an episode recently took place in Thiruvananthapuram city, where a father helped the police apprehend his sons, who were wanted in a robbery case.
Aneesh Kumar, 34, and his brother Ajith Kumar, 29, were being pursued by the Karamana police for their involvement in a robbery.
Along with a female accomplice named Karthika, the siblings allegedly snatched gold chains from two elderly women at knifepoint on Monday night.
The police had identified the culprits and were trying to locate them when they received unexpected assistance from Anil Kumar, the father of the two accused.
Upon being informed by the police of his sons’ involvement in the crime, he voluntarily offered to help. He led the police to the location where his sons were believed to be hiding.
While en route to the spot, Anil spotted his sons walking along the road. He immediately alerted the police, who had not seen the siblings before and were unaware of their exact appearance.
“Had Anil chosen not to inform officers about his sons walking on the street, the arrest might not have happened so quickly,” says an officer.
“The search team had never seen them before. So there was a high chance of them missing them. On noticing the officers, the duo could have simply melted into the crowd and fled the place,”
Inspector Anoop notes that Anil chose to cooperate on recognising the gravity of the offence. “He was clearly unhappy over what his sons had done,” he says.
Credit must also go to the police, who managed to nab the culprits within hours. The trio had covered their faces, aware of CCTV cameras in the locality.
Local residents of Nedumcaud, where the crime took place, had given conflicting statements about the type of two-wheeler used by the accused.
As the incident occurred just days before Attukal Pongala and near the Attukal temple, the police were under immense pressure to crack the case quickly.
With Pongala approaching, locating the culprits would become increasingly difficult as they could blend into the large crowds.
Moreover, a delay in solving the case could also send the wrong message to other criminals, particularly chain snatchers looking to strike during the festival.
Inspector Anoop says the shadow police played a key role in cracking the case by identifying Aneesh by closely analysing CCTV footage.
“Though his face was covered, officers got an idea about him by studying his body language. When they checked up with local sources about Aneesh, they received information about Ajith and his partner Karthika,” he says.
“The officers soon confirmed their involvement in the case and took the two brothers into custody with the help of their father. Karthika initially managed to flee, but was later arrested.”