THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a tense 48 hours for the special investigation team (SIT) that tracked down Benjamin, a 35-year-old truck driver from Madurai, accused of attempting to assault a young IT professional inside her hostel room in Kazhakkoottam.
It was a long, tiring search where they verified close to 200 CCTVs in and around the IT city and collected evidence from many before finally zeroing in on him. The breakthrough came after police spotted his suspicious movements on CCTV footage, in which the accused was seen grabbing an umbrella to hide from cameras. That image set off a massive chase.
Nearly 50 cameras in the technopark area were checked to trace his route. Tracking his vehicle number, the probe team found his address and collected his phone number. Benjamin was located by tracking his mobile phone number.
Within 48 hours, with the help of Tamil Nadu police, the special team was able to nab him from Madurai, in the wee hours of Sunday. On Monday, an identification parade was carried out where the survivor identified him. Benjamin was later produced before the Attingal court, and has been remanded in judicial custody.
Police said they will soon seek his custody for further interrogation and evidence collection. Medical examinations too will be done, said police. “He had no clue he was being traced. He tried to run, but the team managed to pin him down,” said a top cop. The investigation had begun with almost no leads. There were no CCTV cameras inside the hostel and the survivor had described the assailant as a complete stranger.
The special team led by Kazhakoottam Assistant Commissioner P Anilkumar, with SHOs from Kazhakoottam, Thumba, and Peroorkada stations, and the City DANSAF squad, pieced together his movements. He was identified within 24 hours of the crime. According to police, Benjamin, a regular driver transporting goods to Thiruvananthapuram had a criminal background and had attempted to break into three houses before entering the hostel.
To avoid being caught on CCTV, he stole an umbrella, a hat, and a pair of headphones from nearby houses to conceal his identity. “Benjamin used to frequently stay in Kazhakoottam while transporting goods from Tamil Nadu to a godown in Thonnakkal,” said police sources.
According to the police, on the night of the incident, he was seen walking along the service road, drunk, when he noticed lights inside a hostel near the Kapaliswaram temple. The room door was not locked from inside.
The assault attempt happened around 2 am on Friday. The accused entered the hostel premises through an open gate, forcibly pushed open a room door, and tried to strangle and threaten the woman while covering her mouth. When she raised an alarm, Benjamin fled. The woman filed a complaint with Kazhakoottam police later that morning.
After the incident, the accused was seen wandering near the Kazhakoottam area, even around the police station premises, until early morning. His image was captured on the CCTV camera of a nearby ATM counter, which helped the police identify him.
Tracing his route, police found that after the incident, Benjamin drove his truck to a workshop in Kazhakoottam, then to Attingal, and proceeded to Kollam to unload goods.
When the police checked visuals from various check posts, they found footage of the truck heading towards Madurai. At Madurai, he was found hiding in bushes when the DANSAF team closed in on him on Sunday morning. “He ran when he saw officers, not realising it was the police. But he was soon chased down and told that the police team was from Kerala. He showed resistance but the team caught him,” added the police officer.
Police sources said his pattern includes harassing women sleeping on the streets, and multiple cases are already registered against him in Tamil Nadu. Benjamin, police said, had initially entered the hostel with the intent to steal but attempted to sexually assault the woman after gaining access to her room. Further evidence will be collected once he is taken into custody again.
City police have directed all hostels in Kazhakoottam to strengthen security, install CCTV surveillance and maintain proper entry registers. “Kazhakootam has special patrolling like nowhere else in the city but we will ensure strengthened night patrolling in the vicinity,” added the DCP.
Quick action
Benjamin was identified within 24 hours of the crime. Tracing his route, the police found that after the incident, Benjamin drove his truck to a workshop in Kazhakoottam, then to Attingal, and proceeded to Kollam to unload goods.
