The Pantheerankavu police have registered cases against 150 identifiable persons who reportedly foiled the arrest of a suspect involved in a vehicle case filed by an Ernakulam native. The mob reportedly turned violent at Poolenkara when a police team from Ernakulam reached the spot to secure the suspect’s custody around 7 a.m. on Friday.
The protesters also damaged the windshield of a police vehicle, apart from obstructing a police officer’s attempt to overpower Shihas, the suspect in the case. He later managed to escape from the spot. Tension prevailed in the area as the police team from Ernakulam requested the support of the Kozhikode City police to manage the situation and track the suspect.
Meanwhile, a few local residents who thronged the area claimed that local protesters had prevented the plainclothesmen out of their ignorance. The protesters thought that the officers in mufti were hired goons who had come to the spot to kidnap Shihas, they said. Some of them also alleged that the officers in mufti were reluctant to show any identity proof.
