Keralam Police Arrest Road Accident Accused After 16 Years On The Run

An accused in a 2010 road accident that claimed two lives in this coastal Keralam district has been arrested after being in hiding for 16 years, police said on Wednesday.

The state police said in a statement that the accused, who had been hiding in Tamil Nadu for the last 16 years, was arrested by a team from the Pattanakkad police station near the Thanneermukkom Bund road here after he came to Keralam recently.

In 2010, a vehicle driven by the accused hit two people fatally near Thumboli, police said.

Police received a tip-off about the accused, who was living under a fake name and address, on Diwali day, the statement said.

On the instructions of the district police chief, a special team was formed comprising Cherthala DSP Manjulal, Pattanakkad SI Dominic Mathew, SI Ratheesh and senior civil police officer Arunkumar.

When the accused, who was present near the Pattanakkad area, realised that police were on his tracks, he tried to return to Tamil Nadu via Changanassery, Thiruvalla, Pala, Erattupetta, Vagamon and Kumily, the statement said.

However, based on information provided by the Pattanakkad police, the Vagamon and Kumily police stations intensified checks at the borders.

The accused then abandoned those routes and tried to escape via the Vechoor-Kallara road in Kottayam district, police said.

The Pattanakkad police team chased him for about 300 km, stopped the vehicle in which he was travelling, and overpowered him, the statement said.

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