Five associates of Arjun Ayanki arrested in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Five associates of Arjun Ayanki, who is wanted in several criminal cases and has been openly challenging the police and Home Minister, have been arrested in the capital. The arrested men are Shaiju and Shah, natives of Thumba, and Venkitesh, Sangeeth Suresh and Adithyan, natives of Thampanoor.

Police said Shaiju and Shah are facing several criminal cases in Thumba. A cybercrime case has also been registered against Shaiju for allegedly posting defamatory remarks against the Home Minister on social media. They were arrested by Thumba and Thampanoor police officers.

Police said Ayanki, who is accused in cases including gold robbery, has formed and operates a gang based in Thiruvananthapuram. Whenever he visited the capital, he stayed with the accused, police said. Phone records also showed that he remains in contact with them, according to the police. Ayanki has more than 23 cases registered against him, police added.

Following the direction of Law and Order ADGP P. Vijayan, inspections under Operation Grip are continuing across the state to arrest goons and track down Ayanki, who is absconding. District police chiefs are leading the operations. Police have also been directed to arrest accused persons with warrants and those on the goonda lists.

Meanwhile, former DYFI leader Manu Thomas has targeted CPM leader P. Jayarajan over the Ayanki issue. In a Facebook post, Thomas alleged that the former CPM district secretary was responsible for turning such people into criminals.

“They were not born criminals; they were made into criminals,” Thomas said in the post. He also alleged that the CPM office had become a base for such people during the former district secretary’s tenure.

Ayanki’s friend taken into preventive custody

At the same time, Thalassery police took Arjun Ayanki’s friend T.P. Mohammed Rishad (28), a native of Peringome in Payyannur, into preventive custody. Police took him into custody from the MM Road junction in Thalassery during morning patrol. Mohammed Rishad works at a textile shop in Thalassery.