Mangaluru CCB arrests murder accused after 30 years in hiding

Mangaluru: In a major breakthrough, the Mangaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) police have successfully arrested an accused who had been on the run for nearly 30 years in connection with a murder and assault case that took place in the jurisdiction of Suratkal Police Station.

Incident Details:

The Murder Case:

The crime dates back to March 12, 1995, when three unidentified men approached security guards stationed near the MRPL Township in the Suratkal area. The guards, Suresh, Narayan, and Devanna, who were employed by Raksak Industrial Security Institute and assigned to the Delhi-based M/s Skyline Interiors and Construction company, questioned the strangers about their presence at the site late at night. In response, the men engaged in an altercation, which escalated into a physical assault. Narayan, one of the guards, suffered grievous injuries and succumbed to his wounds. A case was registered at the Suratkal Police Station regarding the incident.

The Assault Case:

On the same night, two suspects, identified as Achhan Kunj and Jose Kutty, were involved in another altercation near the MRPL Township canteen, where they attacked Thomas, a relative of the accused. Thomas attempted to intervene during a quarrel between the suspects and laborers resting at the canteen. He was assaulted with an iron rod, leaving him seriously injured. The suspects were later linked to the murder of the security guard Narayan as well.

The investigation:

Following the murder and assault, the accused fled the scene and managed to evade arrest for nearly three decades. Despite multiple attempts by the police to locate the suspects, they remained at large. The accused reportedly moved to various states, including Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu, to avoid capture.

One of the suspects, Achhan Kunj, passed away about eight years ago. The second suspect, Jose Kutty Papachan, had been hiding for years, with an LPC warrant issued against him.

Arrest of the accused:

Acting on information gathered over the last four months, the Mangaluru CCB police traced the whereabouts of Jose Kutty Papachan (55), son of Papachan, who was residing in Kuruva Moola House, Kaithakode Post, Puthur Kottarakkara, Kollam, Kerala. On October 23, 2024, a team from the CCB apprehended Jose Kutty from Thrippunithura, Ernakulam district, Kerala, and handed him over to the Suratkal Police Station for further legal proceedings.

The operation was led by CCB ACP Manoj Kumar Naik, along with Police Inspector Shyam Sundar H.M., ASI Mohan K.V., and other CCB staff. The successful apprehension of the accused in this decades-old case has been highly praised by Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal, IPS.