Fraud case accused attempts to kill policemen during arrest; SI among three injured

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A police team that arrived to arrest an accused in a major fraud case was allegedly run over by a vehicle in an attempt to kill them. The shocking incident took place in Neyyattinkara on Thursday afternoon. Three policemen, including a Sub-Inspector, were seriously injured. The injured officers have been identified as Neyyattinkara Sub-Inspector Akshay Kumar and police officers Nithil Sukumaran and Antony Miranda.

The attack happened when the police tried to arrest Sanoj, an accused in the Nataraj Finance fraud case. Sanoj was about to get into a Thar SUV when police officers, who had arrived in plain clothes on a scooter and a motorcycle, attempted to stop him.

According to police, Sanoj rammed into the officers' two-wheelers with the SUV. He then dragged the vehicles for several meters along a concrete road, leaving the officers with serious injuries. Sanoj was later taken into custody from Neyyattinkara.

The arrest comes as police continue their investigation into the Nataraj Finance gold fraud case. Sreejith, the main accused and owner of Nataraj Finance, was arrested by the Neyyattinkara Police along with the District Anti-Narcotics Squad the other day. Police say Sreejith and his associates targeted ordinary people in Neyyattinkara and nearby areas. They allegedly collected details of people who had pledged gold ornaments for small loans at financial institutions.

The accused then approached these customers with an attractive offer. They promised to release the pledged gold, sell it, and share the profits with the owners. Trusting the offer, many people handed over their documents and gold ornaments. Instead of sharing the profits, the accused allegedly sold the gold elsewhere, pocketed the money, and went into hiding.