

KOCHI: Six persons were arrested by Ernakulam Rural Police on Friday in connection with a robbery case in which a group allegedly trespassed into a rented house occupied by migrant workers and attacked the inmates at Aluva.
The arrested persons were identified as Anas (28) and Hassan (25), both natives of Perumbavoor; Vinod Kumar (35), a native of Kollam; and Hithbulla Shiyas (21) and Ashiq Aliyar (21), both natives of Muvattupuzha.
According to police, the incident occurred on the night of May 26 at a rented house near Sivagiri Vidyanikethan School. The accused allegedly barged into the house posing as local residents after receiving information that a migrant worker allegedly involved in drug sales in the Perumbavoor area was staying there in a rented house.
However, police said the Assam native who was allegedly being targeted had shifted from the place months ago. The accused allegedly intended to seize narcotic substances and sell them.
The gang allegedly assaulted the occupants of the house and robbed mobile phones. Cash was also stolen from the pocket of one of the victims.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly admitted to selling the stolen mobile phones at shops in Perumbavoor, police said.
The investigation was carried out by a special team led by DySP N. Babukkuttan and comprising SI Jossey M. Johnson, KK Sajeesh, and CPOs Mahinsha Abubakkar, Mohammed Ameer, Benny Isaac, Aravind Vijayan, and M. Shahin.
The accused were produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.